Faith The Revised Edition
by RogueBHS
Summary: With OWLS over, and NEWTS not until the next year, some might think Harry Potter's 6th year would be realtively easy...But in the world of the Boy Who Lived, nothing is as it seems.
1. Prologue Summer with the Dursleys

**Faith**

**Prologue - Edited Version**

**By: RogueBHS**

**Author Notes: **Normally I'm not one for rewriting my stories, but in this case,, I've decided to make an exception. "Faith" is my "baby" as it were for the time being, and I keep having new ideas that don't fit in with the way I had originally planned this story out. As such, I'm doing a complete revision of my timeline, my varied notes, and of course, the story itself. As for the delay...lets just say I'm never again storing a story on a floppy disc. Too dang unreliable. :P

Also, I am with out a beta for the time being.  If someone wants to fill the position, it would be appreciated, but with me typing this in a word processor instead of Notepad, it should be more accurate in spelling, etc.  Mostly I just like having someone (like S.S. IDGET) to bounce ideas off of.  O:)

**Notice: **All metric values are an estimated guess by myself and my (now former) beta, Saturian Blonde, as I'm American, and unfortunately, American schools don't go into how to do a real accurate switch from Metric to the (heh) "American" measurements. Thank god for a Canadian beta or the numbers would be off even more!

**Main Characters: **Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Sabine Kington (OC), Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin and others...like Voldemort for instance. ;)

**Couples: **Ron/Hermione, Ginny/Draco, Dumbledore/McGonagall (hinted mostly), Harry/Cho, Harry/Hermione, Lavender/Ron/Luna and others.

**Full Plot Summary: **Most would think that with the OWLs over and done with, and NEWTS not being taken until the next school year, that Harry Potter would have an easy 6th year. But when you add up the loss of his godfather, the weight of the prophecy, harder classes, girl trouble, and the ever looming threat of Voldemort and his followers...Not to mention a changing group of friends, Harry's 6th year may well be the hardest yet. Oh yes...did I mention being ladies man???? (giggle)

**Prologue - "Summer with the Dursleys"**

As soon as Vernon's car had pulled out of the King's Cross station, he started ranting about "those freaks" and the gall of them threatening him to take better care of Harry. After all, the boy got food and a roof over his head, as well as the "generous" donation of his son, Dudley's, hand-me-down clothing. What else could he want? Surely they didn't expect Vernon and Petunia to spoil the boy. He wasn't their son and it wasn't their fault that the boy's irresponsible parents were dead, having left him absolutely nothing of monetary value. Or so they thought anyway.

In the back seat, Harry Potter sat, his bottle green eyes staring out of the window, but not seeing anything in front of him. Instead, he kept picturing the faces of his real family whom he had left behind at the train station, wishing more than ever that he wasn't sentenced to weeks at his aunt and uncle's every summer vacation. But now, at least, he understood why he had to. It didn't make things any easier, however. After all, summer after summer since Harry could remember, he had been nothing but a slave to his "family's" whims. It made no matter to them that he worked himself to exhaustion in _their _yard, or if he burned his fingers numerous times cooking _their_ breakfast. That was simply his place in their household and he should be accustomed to it.

The sad thing was, Harry was in fact accustomed to it. He was used to the insults and slurs about his parentage, and his scrawny frame. And it wasn't until his eleventh birthday he had realized why he had always felt he was truly different. It wasn't until his eleventh birthday he had felt that perhaps there would be more to his life than being the "chore boy" of the Dursley household or the "freak" from St. Brutus' who lived in Little Whinging. After all, finding out you're a wizard certainly isn't something that happens every day. And thankfully, in Harry's case, it wasn't every day that you found out the real reason behind your parents' death.

For the Potters, Lily and James, hadn't been killed in a car crash, as Harry's aunt and uncle had been so intent on telling him. Instead, their deaths had been at the hand of the darkest wizard of the age; Lord Voldemort. And the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead wasn't a reminder of the fake car crash. That scar was what marked him as the only person to have ever survived the dreaded Killing Curse, and as such, as the famous "Boy Who Lived" in the Wizarding world.

And unlike what his aunt and uncle told the neighbors, Harry did not attend St. Brutus' School every year. Instead, he attended the same school his parents had; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And ever since his first year, Harry had the same best friends whom he couldn't imagine life at Hogwarts without. There was red haired, boisterous, always hungry, Quidditch obsessed Ron, who was Harry's first friend at Hogwarts. And it was Ron's family, the Weasleys, whom Harry considered his own surrogate family; a thought and feeling that was echoed clearly by the red-headed family.

Then there was Hermione. Bushy haired, buck-toothed, smart-as-they-come, level headed Hermione. Though thanks to a spell from the Hogwarts' nurse in the trio's forth year, Hermione couldn't really be called buck-toothed. She was easily the only constant Harry had in his life, and his real best friend, no matter how much it seemed otherwise. It didn't matter if he was saving the school from Voldemort, rescuing his godfather, or taking on a dozen or more of Voldemort's followers (Death Eaters), Hermione was beside him the entire way. Without her, Harry had a sneaking suspicion he might not have lived through even his first year at Hogwarts, much less through forth year and the Tri-Wizard Tournament. After all, she was the one who helped him learn all the needed spells.

And thinking of Hermione, he remembered their daring rescue of Sirius, Harry's godfather. Merlin how Harry missed him already. Sirius hadn't been dead a month, and Harry already felt as if a part of him was missing. Sirius was one of the few remaining links Harry had to his parents, and now, because of Harry's own naivety, Sirius was gone. Harry couldn't help but feel as if he was to blame, for it had been his decision to run off to the Ministry of Magic without trying to contact a member of the Order first. Granted it wasn't like he had a choice really. It wasn't his fault that Snape hadn't let on that he understood Harry's cryptic message that Sirius was in danger.

"Are you even listening to me boy???!!!!!"

The bellowed message from his uncle startled Harry from his thoughts abruptly, and his head turned away from the window immediately. "Sorry, Uncle Vernon." The words came automatically from Harry's mouth. "What were you saying, sir?" Though the respect wasn't' earned, Harry gave it anyway. He wasn't in the mood for a beating when they got back to Privet Drive, thank you very much.

Up in the driver's seat, Vernon's face turned a light shade of purple at the fact he had been ignored. "I said that you'll need to get your clothes washed as soon as possible. We're leaving for Marseilles, France in a week. And make sure to help your aunt. We'll be gone all summer, and there are things that need to be done around the house before we leave."

That wasn't a request, Harry was sure of it. But the fact that they were actually taking him with them on vacation? Since when did they do that? "Are you saying I'm going with you, Uncle Vernon?"

"Yes. Can't have those damned freaks saying we abandoned you all summer. Besides, having you with us means we won't have to shell out money for someone else to carry our baggage"

There was always a catch, Harry thought. He should have known it was something like that. After all, the Dursleys hated what they considered menial chores, and those were always the ones assigned to Harry unless company was coming. But at the same time, it would be a break way from Privet Drive. Speaking of which, he wondered if that would do anything to the blood protection he had to "revive" every summer. That meant Hedwig would have to go see Dumbledore soon. Oh well. She wouldn't mind. He doubted she'd get much use while he was gone anyway.

Oh great. What on earth was he supposed to do with Hedwig while he was gone? He doubted that Dumbledore or the Order had any use for her, much less the Weasleys. Hmm...Hermione might be able to. He'd have to dig out her phone number from his trunk to see if she could do him that small favor. After all, Hedwig was fond of Hermione. He could only imagine Hedwig's horror if she was subjected to the ruckus that Pig, Ron's owl, was used to making every hour of the day.

By the time that they had gotten back to Little Whinging, Harry had planned out exactly what he needed to do between now and the time that he and the Dursleys left for their vacation. And as such, the second the car stopped, Harry was out of it and had grabbed Hedwig's cage, as well as his trunk from the trunk ((A/N: LOL)) and was carrying it up the stairs, much to his uncle's dismay. After dropping his trunk at the foot of his bed, and setting Hedwig's cage on his desk, he unlocked the cage, letting Hedwig hop out onto his desktop with a hoot of relief.

Smiling briefly at his owl, Harry turned and unlocked his trunk, digging through it for some parchment, a quill, and Hermione's phone number. And at the bottom, right next to the piece of parchment with Hermione's number sat an old school robe, that was currently looking worse for wear. Any traces of happiness slipped away from his expression as Harry kneeled and gingerly picked up the robe, a soft tinkling sound of glass occurring with every little jolt. He glanced into the trunk, and pulled out a small bag he had once received some Honeydukes candy in, and dumped the pieces of a mirror from the robes into the bag.

He may have broken the mirror in a fit of rage, but perhaps Lupin could repair it...maybe even use it if he had any idea what happened to the other one. So, picking up the needed items, Harry walked over to his desk and sat down. After inking his quill, Harry frowned and sat there, lost in though for a moment before finally writing anything.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_I just though that you should know that the Dursleys plan on taking me on _

_vacation with them. I don't know what that might do to the protection you _

_recently told me about, which is why I'm writing. If there's any way you can let me know that its ok, I'd appreciate it._

_Oh...and sorry about your office. But I'm not sorry for yelling or anything else. I'm not a kid, and its time that some people realized it. You don't take on the dark lord 4 times in 5 years and remain an innocent child._

_Anyway, just let me know ok?_

_HJP_

After rolling up that letter, Harry set it aside and wrote another; this one much more difficult than the one to Dumbledore.

_Remus,_

_I'm sorry about what happened at the Ministry. I was stupid, and should have known better. Now thanks to me, you've lost the one best friend who could help you through the full moon. If you can see me, I've been thinking about something, and was hoping you could help. But the Dursleys are taking me on vacation in a week, so I won't be around until sometime right before school starts. I'm sending you a mirror that Snuffles gave me at Christmas. If you know where the other one is, maybe you can repair this one and use it._

_I do want to see you before I go back to Hogwarts, so let me know if we can. Tell "Clumsy" hi...and Mad Eye too if you see him. Thanks._

_HJP_

Rolling up that piece of parchment a well, Harry wrote the names of the recipients on the rolls, then handed them to Hedwig, along with the closed bag with the pieces of the mirror inside. "Take one to Dumbledore and the other two things to Remus, ok Hedwig?"

The owl hooted, then after a gentle nip of Harry's finger, she flew out the window into the late afternoon sky, leaving Harry watching after her for a good few minutes. Then, with a sigh, he picked Hermione's phone number off the desk and walked down stairs, hoping his uncle might let him call her tonight. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he could hear his aunt in the kitchen, likely cooking up dinner, and the TV playing in the living room. And after pushing the door to the kitchen open, Harry could see Dudley in front of the television, one of his shows flickering on the screen, while Uncle Vernon's eyes were trained on his newspaper.

Moving closer to his uncle, Harry cleared his throat just loud enough to get Vernon's attention. "Uncle Vernon?"

Vernon's eyes stopped moving across the paper, then slowly he turned his head just a bit in Harry's direction. "What do you want, boy?"

"Well, since I know I can't take Hedwig, my owl, with me on the trip, I need to get one of my friends to look after her. But she's already gone for tonight, taking a letter to two people who needed to know about the vacation you're letting me go on. So...I need to use the phone to call a friend of mine. Her parents are mug...I mean, they're like you...they're dentists, and..."

Before he could finish, Vernon's eyes snapped to Harry. "Do what you've got to do, boy. Just don't take forever, and if its long distance, take even less time. Do you hear me?"

Fighting the urge to smile, Harry nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Again, the title wasn't earned, but he knew from experience that such things could mean the difference between getting what he wanted and having to suffer through a lecture or beating. So, after quickly saying he'd use the upstairs phone, Harry darted upstairs and skidded to a stop before the hall phone. Taking a deep breath, he reread the number, then dialed, hoping she'd be home.

At the Grangers'

The phone was on its fifth ring when Hermione managed to finally get to it, and as such, was out of breath when she said "Hello?"

She heard a familiar laugh, then an equally familiar voice rang across the line. "Hey, Hermione. Its Harry..."

Unable to help it, she let out a shriek of delight, despite having seen him only a few hours ago. "Harry?!"

There was a pause, then his voice came back on the line. "Yeah, Mione. Its me." Just from his tone, she could tell he was smiling, and that was enough to make her ignore the nickname. "I know I talked to you at the station and all, but I need a favor if you're not going to be busy this summer."

"Of course, Harry. What do you need?"

"I kinda need you to keep an eye on Hedwig for me this summer...if its not too much trouble."

She froze, a million reasons for him sending Hedwig to her rushing through her mind, each one getting more and more dark and dangerous. So, without thinking, she asked, "You aren't doing something crazy are you? Cause if you are..."

"No, Mione...I swear its nothing like that," he said, quite effectively ending her short lived rant. "The Dursleys are taking me with them on vacation, and I can't just leave Hedwig here. I didn't think the Weasleys or the order could really use her, and since you don't have your own owl, I figured this would be the perfect solution for both of us."

One word stuck out in her mind above the rest, causing her to question him. "You're going on vacation Harry?"

There was the sound of a chuckle escaping his lips before he answered. "Yeah. To Marseilles, France of all places. I could be wrong, but I think Uncle Vernon got a big promotion at work and wants to show off a little."

Her eyes lit up at the mention of France, and she smiled. "Oh its great there, Harry. You'll love it. And of course I'll take care of Hedwig. She and Crookshanks seem to get along well, so that's not a problem."

"Well, she'll need her cage and food...both of which are here with me. Know of any way around that problem? I know you've got some owl treats, but she can't really live on those too well."

Frowning, Hermione paused. "I'll be right back Harry, stay on the line ok?"

She was already setting the phone down when she heard him say "Ok," and headed toward the living room where she knew her parents would be. Her father looked up when she entered, and smiled warmly. "What are you up to, honey?"

Flashing him the same warm smile, she glanced between her parents. "You both remember Harry, right?"

"Of course, dear," her mother answered, now looking up to Hermione as well. "What about him?"

"Well, he's leaving town, and needs me to watch his owl, Hedwig, but her food and cage are at his house. Is there a way we can go get them before he leaves?"

Mr. Granger thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'm off tomorrow afternoon if he'll be there. I can come pick you up here, then we can go together and pick up what you'll need to take care of his owl. That sound alright?"

Hermione nodded exuberantly, then gave her father a hug before bounding off to the phone, shouting a "Thanks, dad" over her shoulder. She scooped the phone off the table and put it to her ear again. "You still there, Harry?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Had to tell my uncle I was waiting for you to ask your parents permission. He doesn't like me being on the phone."

"He can deal with it. So, think you can be at home tomorrow afternoon?"

"I think so...why?"

"Well, Dad's off tomorrow afternoon and we can get Hedwig's stuff then if its ok. I don't think he or mom is off again the rest of the week. They normally take off a couple of weeks later in the summer for us to go do something."

"Tomorrow's fine, Mione. Uncle Vernon normally tries to work late during the summer to avoid being around me, so he won't be a problem. Hedwig's off delivering letters tonight, so she likely won't be back till about the time you get here anyway." He paused, then asked, "You do still have my address, right? I know I gave it to you a while back..."

She laughed softly. "Of course I have your address, Harry. I copied it into the address book my parents and I have after I got home so I wouldn't loose it."

He said something that sounded suspiciously like "should have known," before speaking louder. "I hate to do this, but I've got to go, Hermione. I'll see you tomorrow ok?"

She had barely said "goodbye" when the click of him hanging up echoed over the phone, causing her to frown as she set the phone back into the receiver. Those stupid relatives of his must have told him to get off the phone. It figured. But at least she'd get to see him tomorrow. And with that thought, she headed upstairs to read before going to bed.

July 31st - Harry's Birthday

"_This is my life   
Its not what it was before   
All these feelings I've shared   
And these are my dreams   
That I'd never lived before   
Somebody shake me   
'Cause I   
I must be sleeping"_

As the song played, Harry stood in the record store, eyes closed as he concentrated on the lyrics. The song had struck a cord with him when he had caught the last few lines as it played over the intercom system, and after a brief conversation with the man at the check-out line, Harry was set up with a pair of headphones. Having never been in a record store before, all of the equipment seemed unreal. He hadn't been aware that there was an area of the stores set up for you to listen to a CD before you bought it. Nor had he been aware of how expensive some Cd's could be. But thankfully, Remus had stopped by two days before the trip to Marseilles and given Harry a good deal of muggle money that had been taken out of his Gringotts account.

"_Now that we're here,   
It's so far away   
All the struggle we thought was in vain   
All the mistakes,   
One life contained   
They all finally start to go away   
Now that we're here _

_Its so far away   
And I feel like I can face the day _

_I can forgive   
And I'm not ashamed to be the person that I am today" (1)_

The song played again, this time over the headphones of his portable CD player back in the hotel as Harry lost himself in thoughts of the way he had been before the death of his godfather, Sirius. It had been hard, the first couple of weeks, dealing with his "family" as they prepared for the vacation and then settled in at the rather ritzy hotel in the middle of Marseilles, France. But now, the day before his 16th birthday, he was finally being able to fully relax. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had dropped off Dudley at a pool party being held by some kids he had met there, then headed off to some expensive restaurant that Dudley had refused to eat at when he realized what 'escargot' was. That left Harry alone in the hotel with nothing to do. He was absolutely forbidden from using the phone to call his friends, and as such, was missing them, one in particular, a good deal.

And while he couldn't be sure if it was just good timing or just luck, Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix appeared in a burst of flames, hovering over the foot of Harry's bed, startling him into a sitting position. With a huge smile, he hit the stop button on the portable CD player that was a bribe from Dudley, and ripped off the headphones before reaching out to stroke the feathers of the bird. Slowly, Fawkes settled onto the bed, and let out a few quavering notes of song, soothing Harry, and coaxing a small smile out of him.

"'Lo Fawkes. What's that you've got?" His green eyes fixed onto the large box that was tied to the Phoenix's leg, and he reached out, untying the knot of the rope, allowing Fawkes to move more freely. Glancing at the bird as it flew over to one of the chairs in the room and perched, he realized that he must be waiting for Harry to open the package. So, after picking up the pocket knife that Dudley had left on the nightstand between their beds, he opened the box, surprised to find many more smaller boxes and a few letters inside.

Settling back against the headboard of the bed, he pulled out the first letter, which was from Dumbledore. It was a birthday greeting, saying that rather than wait for Harry to return to England, he had decided to gather presents from Harry's friends and send them to him in France, figuring that he might need the comfort of knowing he was thought of on his birthday. Shaking his head at the professor's almost eerie fore-knowledge of so many things that went on in the world, Harry set aside Dumbledore's letter and pulled out the other notes and cards, reading them one by one. There were the traditional cards from Hagrid, the Weasleys, Hermione and Lupin, as well as some from others, mainly DA members like Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, but there was even one from Professor McGonagall and Mad-Eye Moody.

The gifts, which he still wasn't used to receiving, were even more thoughtful than usual this year. Hagrid, foregoing his usual treacle fudge, had sent Harry a special cloak made from the hide of a Hungarian Horntail dragon, like the one Harry had fought in his forth year, with a small note attached mentioning it was particularly good at repelling basic jinxes and such. The Weasleys had sent him a birthday cake, per usual. While Ron and Ginny had pooled their money to buy him a pair of quidditch goggles and package of chocolate frogs. The twins even remembered him, and sent him a box full of their best tricks and treats. It seemed that Remus, Tonks and Moody had pooled their monies as well, buying him a holster for his wand and a book of tips and things for those looking to be an Auror. But Harry didn't think anything could compare to Hermione's gift. Most would have considered it girly for a guy to actually like receiving jewelry, but the yellow and white gold chain that bore a topaz and ruby phoenix pendant was anything but girly. He snapped it on almost immediately after he got over his awe, making sure to hide it so that his aunt and uncle couldn't confiscate it. Harry couldn't imagine Hermione spending that much on him, as something like this certainly wasn't cheap.

Fawkes let out a trill to remind Harry of his presence, drawing a smile of pure happiness from him. "Alright, Fawkes. If you can wait, I'll write a letter to them all ok?" The bird just bobbed its head in a sort of nod, and flew from the desk chair over to the table, taking a sip of water from a glass Harry had left sitting there. Still smiling, Harry pulled out his parchment and quill that he had brought with him, and wrote a thank you to all of those who had remembered his birthday, taking special care in his letter to Hermione, making sure that she knew he was in complete awe of the gift. And when done, he wrapped the letters in the same twine that had been around one of his presents, and let Fawkes take them to Hogwarts for distribution.

It took him a good two hours to come down from the high he received from the contact with his friends and family, and sink back into the sullen state that he hated being in. When Dudley arrived back, not long into Harry's sulk, he glanced at his cousin, shaking his head when he saw the same blank look that was all too common these days. So, while tossing his swim shorts over the shower curtain rod in the bathroom, Dudley called out to Harry. "Hey, make yourself scarce, alright? I think one of the girls from the party is going to be calling. So go work out or whatever it is you do when you disappear, got it?"

While the message was said almost in passing, Harry looked up, frowning, then grabbed a pair of old warm-up pants and changed into them and, as his cousin asked, vacated the room, slipping the room key into his pocket. He traced the easily familiar path from the room to the hotel's gym in the basement level. He ran through the warm-up exercises he remembered from PE in grade school, never seeing the glances he attracted while doing so. And without a glance, set the weight on the bench press, and giving a nod when the trainer came over and asked if he was in need of a spotter. The smooth up and down motion of the weights slowed down the process of his mind, so that only the most basic of thoughts passed through. _Push up, pull down, up, down, up, down...Breathe in, breathe out...up, in, down, out, up, in, down, out..._

He was definitely on auto pilot, and it wasn't until the trainer bodily lifted the weights from Harry's hands and told him to go work on another machine that he even blinked. So, with a sigh, he walked over to one of the treadmills, setting it for a jogging speed, and a good 30 minutes of time. As he jogged, the thoughts that had fled his mind while using the bench press came back, but in a much more orderly fashion, allowing for him to deal with them easier. By the end of his jog (which was a good 3-4 miles in distance, as he had picked up the speed only a few minutes into it), he had worked through some of the problems he had. Naturally, the ones that remained were the ones that dealt with Sirius and his death and the prophecy. Harry didn't feel he had it in him to be a killer, to be honest, even if it was Voldemort. He'd rather see the man suffer, but what caused most people suffering delighted the dark lord. Perverse creature that he was, Voldemort didn't mind pain or anger. Like the dementors he 'employed,' Voldemort fed off such things, and it seemed that love was the only thing he really couldn't stand.

So the question becomes, how on earth could he, Harry Potter, use love...an uncontrollable substance at best, to defeat Voldemort when he himself had gone 10 years and then some without knowing the true meaning of it? But then again, Harry wasn't even sure that was even what the prophecy meant by "the power the dark lord knows not." Realizing he had been sitting at a rowing machine for a good 10 minutes now, Harry got up, stretching out his shoulders as he took a good look at the time, doing a double take when he realized it was already 10 o'clock. He gave a quick apology to the trainer who was waiting to close up, and took the route back to his room, his muscles aching for a nice long shower.

When he walked into the room, he rolled his eyes when he saw Dudley parked in front of the TV, eyes glued to the fuzzy at best picture from a porn channel that wasn't really supposed to be coming in at all unless subscribed to. And after grabbing a change of clothes, hopped into a steaming hot shower, almost groaning as he felt his muscles loosen up from their workout. It was a good 15 minutes later that he emerged into the steam filled bathroom, and wiped down the mirror to brush his teeth, wondering if he'd ever have a day where the nightmares of his sleep didn't slip into the waking hours of the day.

August 4th -

Harry sighed as he watched Fawkes disappear again, taking more letters back to Hogwarts so they could be sent to various people. He hadn't really expected Dumbledore to allow him to use Fawkes as a sort of personal messenger, but the Headmaster had said simply that Fawkes seemed to enjoy the work, and he (Dumbledore) wasn't about to deny Harry's wish for contact with a few people back home. So, now almost daily, he wrote letters to Ginny, Luna and Neville, as well as Remus. After having received news that Ron and Hermione were dating, he had decided, perhaps selfishly to not write to them until he returned to Privet Drive in a little over 2 weeks. Ginny, despite her former crush on him, was willing to allow him to ramble about anything, and reminded him a little of Hermione in her hope to get him to open up more. As such, his letters to her were the longest, and he knew she'd keep any secret of his if he wanted her to.

Then there was Neville, of course. The boy was finally being allowed to watch and go to some of the Quidditch matches, and kept Harry fully informed on all of the teams, not just the Cannons as Ron might have done. He apologized profusely for not being more help in the Department of Mysteries the year before, for which he had gotten a good lecture from Harry, insisting that if not for Neville, things might have gone a good deal differently. He had shown his Gryffindor courage that night, for certain.

And Luna...despite her reputation as a crazy girl, the fact was, she was every bit a Ravenclaw; full of intelligence and shrewd advice. She'd rattle on for a bit about the newest creature her father was after, then switch gears, talking Harry through his grief about Sirius with little antidotes about her and her father after the loss of her mother. The fact that he really wasn't alone was more of a comfort than Harry had thought it might be. And in turn, he'd tell her about Marseilles, and the muggle world, which she seemed as fascinated with it as Mr. Weasley. Or perhaps tell her about his own life growing up; nothing too serious, but just little things that his other friends knew that she didn't. Yet there were no words of pity from her in reply, and no curses towards his family. Instead, she took it in stride, saying that 'its not the load that breaks you, its how you carry it', and obviously he carried his load well.

It was the letters to Remus that were the hardest. Their mutual loss of a good friend was still a raw wound, and talking about Sirius to each other was almost like pouring salt into that wound. So the letters were more about their respective summers, with only the slightest of mentions about Sirius or Grimmauld Place. Remus did say that Kreacher had beheaded himself with the permission of Mrs. Black's portrait, which came as a huge relief to Harry. He couldn't imagine the idea of that elf staying alive after his actions had caused so much pain.

He had received a letter from the Ministry notifying Harry that the new Minister of Magic, Amos Diggory, had appointed two new legal guardians for him. Amos himself had explained that while he would have liked to have given sole "custody" of Harry to Remus Lupin, due to the current Wizarding laws, the werewolf was seen by the law as unable to fulfill the roll. As such, Remus was only a secondary guardian, with Albus Dumbledore himself serving as Harry's "real" legal guardian. That meant that Dumbledore, until Harry's next birthday, would take care of any assets that Harry acquired due to the death of Sirius Black, Grimmauld Place included. Harry could only imagine the look on Ron's face when he realized that Harry was even more rich now, thanks to the Black family fortune that he had inherited. Then again, Mrs. Black would likely be livid at the fact that the laws at the time of her death had forced all assets that would have gone to Regalus Black, Sirius' brother, had gone to Sirius after all...despite his "exile" from the family. But at the same time, Harry couldn't care less about what the old, drooling portrait thought.

And with the vacation coming to a speedy close, Harry's days were spent almost all the same. Time with the Dursleys at meals, an occasional shopping trip with his aunt and/or Dudley, evenings in the hotel gym, and the daily letters to Ginny and others. There was, of course, the two times he got to go to some event he actually liked (including a muggle rock concert held by Jon Bon Jovi). But his favorite time was the time alone in the hotel room, spent bent over a spiral notebook, scribbling away.

August 18th, At the Burrow (2 days before Harry's return to Privet Drive) -

"GINERVA WEALSEY!"

The voice of her older brother Ron echoed down the stairs, causing everyone in the house to turn their heads swiftly towards the sound. Ginny, however, kept her head low over her plate of lunch, ignoring the look her mother shot her way. And it wasn't until Ron's footsteps thundered down the stairs that she even acknowledged that she knew he was looking for her. A second set of footsteps followed Ron's, at a much slower pace, mind you, indicating that Hermione was with him yet again. Ron burst through into the kitchen, blue eyes blazing in anger as he waved a piece of parchment in front of his sister's nose.

"Just when in the bloody hell were you planning on telling me that Harry was writing you, hmm?!"

At the mention of Harry writing to her, Ginny's red head snapped up, the shocked look on her face quickly changing to one of anger as she snatched the parchment away from Ron and hugged it to her like a prized possession. "And just what on earth were you doing snooping in my room, Ron?!" Ginny asked, purposefully ignoring her brother's question.

"Ginny," the calm voice of Hermione broke in, "he wasn't snooping. I was looking for some parchment to write on, and came across it by accident. Ron just happened to come in while I was looking at it. So don't blame him."

Ginny's eyes turned to Hermione, narrowing. "Wouldn't you have enough parchment in your trunk? I know you bought over a dozen rolls in Diagon Alley a few days ago."

Hermione sighed. "I didn't want to use any of that if there was a scrap laying around I could use. I was just going to send a short note to my parents." She met Ginny's glare head on. "I'm sorry, ok?"

Ron rolled his eyes, and slammed a fist on the table. "You still haven't answered me, Ginny. How long has Harry been writing to you?!"

Ginny's brown eyes turned again to her brother. "What business is it of yours? He was the one who started the letters after all...and they're addressed to me, not you."

"That's the bloody problem. I'm supposed to be his best mate, and yet he hasn't responded to a single letter that Hermione or I have sent him, aside from that thank you note for his gifts."

"Well, you told him you and Hermione were dating, right?"

"Right..."

"Think about it you idiot. Harry feels left out! The trio is now a duo. Where in the hell does he fit in if you're dating Hermione? So its natural he'd try and make a few new friends. Besides...there are some things you just don't understand Ron..."

"Like what? Just what in the hell do I not understand?! Hmm? Enlighten me why don't you!"

"Voldemort."

It was a simple word, but the effect it had on the room was more than that. Ron's face went ashen at the reminder of his sister's previous encounter with the Dark Lord. Hermione went still, her mind swimming through the possible meanings of such an answer. While at the sink, Mrs. Weasley, who had been silent up until this point, let out a small shriek and dropped a plate to the floor. She had tried to forget that Ginny had been taken over for a while by Voldemort...but hearing her daughter say the creature's name made it all too real again. But Ginny sat there in silence, brown eyes scanning the three others, no hint of emotion on her face.

Finally, Ron regained his voice. "What...what do you mean by that?"

Ginny stood slowly, eyes now glued on her brother as she advanced on him. "You don't know what he can do, not really. You've never experienced the type of power he has...never felt it running through you, scaring you with the darkness of his soul. You'll never feel the pure hatred he has for anything good and innocent. But I know. I've felt it. I've seen it." Her voice dropped to somewhere just above a whisper as she stood face to face with Ron. "Harry knows it, too. He's felt it. He's seen it. No one else can understand it Ron. No one." Her voice raised back to normal. "Being possessed by Voldemort...it's the worst feeling in the world...but at the same time, it's the best. Feeling that type of power in your fingertips...Merlin." She shook her head. "I'd never wish such a thing on anyone, Ron. Because while the magic is amazing, the things your soul goes through when he's possessing you is beyond torture...He's pure evil, Ron. And there's still a tiny piece of him in me...in Harry. Its what makes us who we are. But pray Ron...pray hard that you never feel it...can never understand it. I sure as hell wish I couldn't."

And with that, she brushed past him, Harry's letter still clutched in her hand, taking the stairs two at a time. While her family stood in the kitchen, thinking hard on what she had said.

August 21st -

Three days later, Hermione laid in her bed in Ginny's room, staring up at the ceiling. Ginny's confession had scared her...as well as Ron and Mrs. Weasley. But they were only scared for Ginny. Hermione was scared for Harry. With that little bit of knowledge of what Harry must have gone through, she worried about him even more. Especially now that it had been four days since Harry's last letter to Ginny...the same one that she had found while looking for a spare bit of parchment. Hermione wasn't sure if she was glad that she had managed to read the letter before Ron snatched it away or not, now that the dust had settled around the Burrow, so to speak.

But the dust hadn't settled in Hermione's mind. Her thoughts still ran circles around each other, never slowing enough for her to really think each one through as she was used to. The only thing that stuck, really, was a particular string of sentences in the letter Harry had sent to Ginny. Because, unless she had read it wrong, which was highly doubtful, as Harry was known for his sometimes blunt way of putting things. And this time was no exception.

_Ginny,_

_I know what you think I should do about the problem I'm having, but I just can't do what you recommended. If I was to tell her...Merlin. That would ruin everything, Gin. Everything. And you know that loosing her would kill me. I've told you about how I got when she last got injured because of me. Maybe someday I can tell her, but not now. She's happy, I think, with him. I can't ruin that. I won't._

_As to your other question, yes, things are okay. Well...as good as can be expected. Dudley's still paying up, and I had to raise the price after his last mess up. I swear he's the world's biggest idiot, in more ways than one. But I'm not planning on telling Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia anyway. Why would they believe me? I don't think he's realized that all he'd have to do is call me a liar and they'd punish me, and it'd be done._

_Other than that, lil sis of mine, you're on your own for a while. With the vacation wrapping up and school nearing, I've got a lot to do, and I'm sure the Dursleys are gonna run me ragged with chores when we return to Privet Drive. Keep your chin up, Gin. And remember what I said about you-know-who..._

_Love from your "adopted" big brother,_

_Harry_

Hermione might have been able to deal with the fact that Harry was writing to Ginny and not her if not for the fact that it was extremely obvious that Harry had told Ginny secrets that she, herself, was not privy to. After all, Harry had seemed to be completely over Cho the year before, so the "she" Harry mentioned was a new interest, obviously. The oddest part was, it wasn't just not knowing that bugged her. It was the fact that he was interested in anyone at all, really. She had spent the past few years thinking of him as "her Harry," and that was obviously a very hard habit to break.

Thank goodness Ron wasn't asking any more questions. Ginny's outburst had left him somewhat subdued, and he had made a comment, in passing, that he couldn't wait to see Harry again. When questioned on it, he had said simply that he had some things he had to talk out with his brother.

Sighing, Hermione rose from the bed, and walked over to Ginny's desk, grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill on her way by her trunk. Slipping into the desk chair, she cast a glance at the closed door, making sure it was in fact still closed. Once satisfied, she turned, inking the quill before scratching out a letter in her usual neat script.

_Harry,_

_Its been weeks since I've last heard from you, and I'm getting worried. I recently found that you've been writing Ginny, but even she hasn't heard from you for a few days. I understand if you're busy getting ready for school, but maybe we can meet in Diagon Alley or something and talk. The Burrow isn't the same without you around. I swear, Ron hasn't stopped complaining that Ginny is the only person to play Quidditch with. Its almost funny, actually._

_But more than that, I want to know what's been going on with you on vacation and all. I also have something of a confession to make. I found one of t he latest letters you sent Ginny and read it.. She's been burning most of them, I think, but hadn't gotten to this one yet. You mentioned a girl...and it seems like you really like her. And...maybe I'm being overly sensitive, but...I thought we were best friends, Harry. So why not tell me about this girl? Surely you don't have a reason to worry. What girl wouldn't love to be with you?_

_I'm sorry if you feel like I've intruded on your private conversations with Ginny, but...I had to let you know. Friends shouldn't keep secrets, right? Besides, I know you hate being kept in the dark about things, and this was my fault. Hope that everything's going good, and please, please write me back, ok?_

_XXXXXXX's (hugs!) from_

_Hermione_

August 30th, At Privet Drive -

It had been 8 days ago that he had received the letter from Hermione, and 6 days since he had responded brusquely, insisting that what she wanted to know he could NOT send by Owl post. Sending things with Fawkes with personal information like he had written to Ginny was dangerous enough. But none the less, Harry felt horrible about having to say such a thing to Hermione. Just because what he had told her was true didn't mean he had to feel any better about it.

The sound of the doorbell roused Harry from his thoughts, and he turned from the counter where he stood, finishing up the breakfast dishes, moving into the hallway to pull open the front door. And while he had been expecting one of Dudley's friends or something, seeing Remus Lupin standing outside the door with a tired smile on his face hadn't been expected. None the less, Harry stepped forward, pulling his godfather into a hug, a feeling of relief slipping through him. He hadn't received a letter from Remus in days, due to Order business that the werewolf had been attending to, and worry over him had been a constant for Harry since.

If Remus had been surprised to be on the receiving end of a hug from Harry, he didn't let it stop or delay him from hugging the teen back. Truth be told, he had been worried about Harry too. While the loss of Sirius was, of course, hard on him, Harry had been beyond devastated last Remus heard, and to find that the , young man, was for the most part ok, was a great relief. When the two released each other, Harry's face broke into a smile, as he stepped aside, motioning for Remus to come into the house.

"The Dursleys are all out of the house, so its safe." He smirked, now closing the door behind his godfather before walking back into the kitchen. When Remus sat down at the kitchen table, Harry turned to the counter where he had placed the clean dishes, and started mechanically putting them into the cupboards where they went. "What brings you here anyway?" There was a pause. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but...had to ask."

"Well, you did ask to see me before you left didn't you? I finished up my business yesterday, and thought I'd come by. Moody was going to do the check on you, but I talked him into letting me." Remus looked up at Harry, grinning. "He did tell me to tell you that he hopes you were vigilant in France...something about dark wizards being all over the place and what not."

Harry laughed. "Sounds like Moody." Sliding the last glass into the cupboard, he sighed, then slid into a chair as well, leaning back casually as he had seen Sirius do before. "Did you get to do anything with that mirror I sent you?"

"Oh...glad you reminded me." Remus said, sliding a bag out of the muggle jacket he was wearing, then enlarging it before handing it to Harry. "I found the second mirror up in Buckbeak's room, so I figured you could use them. The Order doesn't have a use for them, but...if there's someone you want to be able to talk to easier, then now you've got a way."

Harry looked at the bag for a moment, the looked up at Remus, nodding. "I think I know of someone I might want to talk to." He gave a small smile. "Thanks, Remus. I appreciate you bringing that over." He paused, fiddling with the bag for a moment. Then his eyes cut up to Remus'. "So...how long do you have to spare today?"

Frowning, Remus raised an eyebrow before smiling. "Well, all day if you need me for something."

Harry smiled back. "I was kinda hoping we could get outta here for a while. The Dursleys won't be back till tonight, and all the chores they wanted me to do while they were gone are done. None of them really took that long."

Remus eyed Harry critically for a minute, taking in the hand me down clothes he wore. "I think I can manage that, but on one condition."

"What?"

"You let me floo Tonks and get her to go with us. You're looking worse than I do, Harry." He laughed. "You've got plenty of money in Gringotts, and I say we switch some to muggle and get you some new clothes. I may not really have an eye for such a thing, but that's why Tonks can come with."

Harry laughed, then nodded. "Go ahead and Floo Tonks. I'm kinda outgrowing the legs on these pants of Dudley's anyway. He's always been wider than tall anyhow."

August 30th, evening -

That night, Harry laid on his bed, headphones blaring more of the rock music that he was fast becoming addicted to. The bed that had once been of an adequate length was now barely holding his 6' frame, leaving his feet to almost dangle off of the end when he slept. More often than not, he woke up, half on the bed and half off, with an ache in his legs from the awkward position. Sighing, Harry closed his eyes, focusing on the lyrics of the song playing, loving how they somehow put how he felt into words. But as his eyes closed, a flash of white at his window had them opening again, looking blearily towards the disturbance.

His owl, Hedwig was fluttering outside, a dead mouse clutched in her beak. So, with a sigh, Harry turned off the CD player and hauled himself off of the bed to push the window open. Hedwig dropped the mouse into her cage, turning her head briefly to give an indignant hoot at having to wait so long to be allowed back inside. With a small smile, Harry stroked her feathers lightly. "Sorry, girl. Just got distracted."

The apology seemed to pacify the owl for the moment, and she turned back to her kill, pecking at it when it squirmed just a bit as the last bit of life left it. Shaking his head, Harry turned, planning on slipping his headphones back on when he caught sight of himself in the mirror. His almost nightly workouts in the hotel gym had done him a world of good, as had the proper meals, turning his once rather childish build into a lean physique that he was sure would serve him well in Quidditch and in duels. And thanks to hours in the sun, window shopping with his aunt, as well as time spent by and in the hotel pool allowed pale skin to take on a healthy tanned glow that brought out the emerald of his eyes and contrasted with his raven hair.

But in the midst of it all, his lightning bolt scar was still pale, making it more obvious than ever, despite his bangs. The other scar on his currently shirtless body was on the crook of his right arm, another reminder of the Dark wizard Harry had been both death and life to. While there were other scars present on his body, the two that were connected directly to Voldemort were the ones he wished gone above all else. They were nothing more than reminders of all he lost, primarily his parents, but Sirius, a friend in Cedric, and the chance of an actually worth while childhood were forever gone as well.

Closing his eyes against memories, Harry pulled desperately into the more fond thoughts he had, clinging to one of Hermione earlier that summer. Eyes bright, smile wide, and arms wide open, ready to hug him, she had shown up at his front door when promised, under pretense of just picking up the things Hedwig would need for a summer at the Grangers'. And it was then Harry had realized how much he counted on her. Not just at school. She was the only calming influence he had in his life at the Dursleys. Anything he did, he could hear her response to the action or words in his head. She was his conscience, and his rock. And Harry Potter would have it no other way.

A/N: Well, that's the end of the revised Prologue. I know its long, but I like it a LOT better than the old one. J So please leave a review and let me know what you think!

(1) - "So Far Away" - Staind


	2. Chapter 1 Return to Hogwarts

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Faith

Chapter 1 "Return to Hogwarts" - Edited Version

By: RogueBHS

Author Notes: Again I apologize for the delay. I'm trying to work on this as fast as possible, and the current semester of college classes I'm taking ends within a month, which should mean more writing time unless something else comes up. I may be returning to work on my other fan fictions (X-men based) later, but for now, those are still on hold. Any song I use in this fiction is posted at the end of the chapter, along with the artist's name and possibly the CD it can be found on if one exists. So keep an eye out for that.

And to those on Portkey: You're the best! I don't think I've ever gotten 15 reviews (or more) on a single chapter before. Sheesh! jumps for joy Its due to you that this thing is getting worked on as much as possible, so give yourselves a pat on the back! ;)

Notice: All metric values were calculated by Yahoo's Metric Converter. Any values that are wrong, I apologize ahead of time for. I will be posting the American equivalent in parenthesis at all times.

Main Characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Sabine Kington (OC), Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin and others…like Voldemort for instance. ;)

Couples: Ron/Hermione, Ginny/Draco, Dumbledore/McGonagall (hinted mostly), Harry/Cho, Harry/Hermione, Lavender/Ron/Luna and others.

Full Plot Summary: Most would think that with the OWLs over and done with, and NEWTS not being taken until the next school year, that Harry Potter would have an easy 6th year. But when you add up the loss of his godfather, the weight of the prophecy, harder classes, girl trouble, and the ever looming threat of Voldemort and his followers…Not to mention a changing group of friends, Harry's 6th year may well be the hardest yet. Oh yes…did I mention being ladies man???? (giggle)

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Chapter 1, "The Return to Hogwarts"

As dawn broke over the rooftops of Little Whinging, most huddled tighter under covers, desperate to keep the inevitable state of consciousness at bay for just a few more minutes at least. But in the house of Number Four, Privet Drive, one inhabitant scurried from his bed as his alarm clock went off. It took him perhaps half an hour to go through his morning toiletries, showering and shaving in particular, before he dug through his wardrobe, pulling on a pair of fresh jeans and a shirt. Scrambling down the stairs as quietly as possible, Harry Potter let out an internal whoop of glee, as today was September first…the day he returned to the Wizarding world and Hogwarts.

In a good mood, he pulled out the carton of eggs and grabbed the milk from the refrigerator, then grabbed a package of bacon from the freezer, throwing it into the microwave to thaw. It took him only a few minutes to get a mix ready for biscuits, and even shorter for a pan to be sizzling hot and ready for the bacon. So by the time that the other inhabitants were heading down the stairs, breakfast was nearly ready. He bustled around in much the same manner as he had seen Mrs. Weasley do, setting a cup of coffee, as well as the cream and sugar down in front of his uncle before carrying over the plates, warm from sitting on the stove-top.

When Aunt Petunia came in, handing the paper to her husband, she turned, expecting to have to bark an order at her nephew to hurry up with the breakfast, as Dudley was coming down, she was shocked to see him carrying a tray of hot biscuits and the pan with the bacon over to the table. So the breakfast hour continued smoothly, with the occasional comment from Vernon about the state of the world today. Harry, however, was so used to the comments about hooligans and such from his uncle that he was able to tune them out as he ate what even Ron would consider a decent sized breakfast, with no lecture from his guardians. When he had eaten his fill, Harry took his own plate, as well as his aunts to the kitchen, cleaning them before the order was even given. At the table, Petunia and Vernon shared a shocked look, but didn't complain about Harry's behavior.

After lightly scrubbing the bacon pan, since Dudley had all but licked it clean himself, Harry glanced over at his uncle who was still reading the morning paper. "Are you still planning on driving me to King's Cross Station, Uncle Vernon?"

Vernon's mustache twitched, and he glanced at Petunia, who gave him a pointed look. So, rather obviously against his will, Vernon Dursley glanced up at Harry. "I suppose I am, boy. But be ready in fifteen minutes, there's a special order we're supposed to send out at work today, and I want be at work to make sure its sent."

"Yes, Uncle Vernon, sir." And with a slight spring to his step, Harry took the stairs two at a time, leaving his relatives to wonder what on earth had caused this odd behavior.

Later on at the train station, Harry sighed as he watched people go by, hurrying on their way to work or some such event. It was a good two hours until the train was scheduled to leave, and the barrier to platform nine and three quarters wasn't even open for students yet. That left him to wander the station aimlessly until at least an hour had passed. But with the way people, namely females, kept turning his direction as he walked through the station, he felt compelled to return to the area near platforms nine and ten to wait the lonely hour until he could board the Hogwarts Express.

For the first time in her memory, Molly Weasley had managed to get her children to the King's Cross train station a full half an hour before the train was scheduled to leave. Not even when it had been just Bill whom attended Hogwarts had she managed such a feat, as the younger children had to be gotten ready as well so she could keep an eye on them. She had never been one for leaving the care of her children in the hands of others. But then again, there was a special motivation in all of them this morning it seemed. With none of them but Hermione having had physical contact with Harry all summer, they were anxious to ensure that he was as alright as his letters had made him sound.

Yet it seemed that he had yet to arrive at the station himself. She kept a look out for him, as did Ginny and Ron as they stood by her side. She couldn't help but worry over the boy, what with the way those horrid relatives of his treated him and all. In fact, Mrs. Weasley likely worried over Harry more than she did her own children at times. Perhaps it was this, as much as anything, that had caused the eldest Weasley boys, Bill and Charlie, to call Harry the "7th Weasley son." But it was true, really, and Molly wouldn't dream of denying it.

As Hermione stepped off of the Hogwarts Express, which she had just finished combing for Harry, Molly's eyes shifted to the girl, watching to see if Harry appeared just beyond her, but to no avail. Hermione's sad expression was as telling as the shake of her head. When the girl…correction, young lady, walked back towards the Weasleys, her eyes scanned the crowd again, and a soft sigh escaped her when she still found no sign of Harry.

But Ginny Weasley didn't care much about Harry Potter at the moment, as her eyes had landed on a very hot guy standing against a brick pillar on the platform, looking more than a little bored. The second Hermione was close enough, Ginny was pointing in the guy's direction, her own eyes already glued to him again. After all, the guy was the type made to drool over. From the tips of the spiked black hair to the toes of the black doc martin boots, he practically oozed a "devil-may-care" attitude, and the way he dressed only added to the charm of it. Tight blue jeans, an even tighter white long sleeved shirt, covered by a black short-sleeved t-shirt that bore a PUMA logo all to cover his leanly muscled frame. Then there was the black studded wrist band on the left wrist, and matching belt, plus the silver watch and black plastic bracelets that were common amongst muggles on the right wrist, not to mention the silver and black mirrored sunglasses of course. How could anyone not find him hot?

But with a start, both girls realized exactly who the guy they were so obviously drooling over was. For only Harry Potter had that lightning bolt scar on his forehead, after all. Excited, Ginny grabbed her mother's sleeve, pointing in Harry's direction, effectively getting Ron's attention as well. Hermione, however, tuned everything out the second she realized that Harry was in fact safe at the station. Her feet started carrying her towards him at a slow pace, wondering if he'd ever realize that she was there. As if in tune with her thoughts, Harry's head suddenly turned her way, and the second he saw her, a smile curved his lips. And seeing that smile, Hermione broke into a sudden run, ignoring the startled cries and shocked looks of those she pushed passed. It seemed to take forever for her to reach him, but in reality it was all of a few seconds, but it only took those few seconds for Harry to open his arms wide in anticipation of her arrival. The second she was in his arms, her own wrapped tightly around his neck in a hug, he swept her off her feet, twirling her around in circles that caused her to cry out in surprise and joy. When her feet hit the ground again, she stood there, silently looking up at the mirror version of herself in his sunglasses, a content smile playing over her lips.

The moment, however, was broken when Ron and Ginny came jogging up to them, Mrs. Weasley not far behind. After a bone crushing hug from the latter, Harry gave Ron a pat on the back, giving him a cheerier greeting than the red-head had expected, before pulling an unsurprised Ginny into a quick hug. The sunglasses slid off slowly, revealing the sparkling emerald eyes that they all loved, but unlike in the past, those eyes weren't masked by the reflective glare of his glasses.

Curious, Ginny smirked at him. "Loose your glasses, Harry?"

"No…" He smirked right back at her. "I got my eyes fixed the other day. Remus came by and took me out of the house, and we stopped in Diagon alley. So…Voila! No more glasses."

Ron looked at Harry, curious. "Remus came by eh? What'd he do that for, mate?"

Harry shrugged. "I wrote him before I left saying I wanted to talk to him in person before school started, so he picked me up yesterday. Forced me into buying new clothes with Tonks and him." At Ron's horrified expression, he laughed. "Wasn't that bad, really. First time in…ever, actually, that I've had new clothes of my own, so…" He trailed of the second he saw the dark expression upon Mrs. Weasley's face at the mention of his treatment by the Dursleys. "But besides that, I got to catch up on what's going on in the Wizarding world, too."

Mrs. Weasley's expression didn't change, and she gave him a pointed look. "Those relatives didn't mistreat you did they, Harry?"

There was a definite edge to her tone that he could tell wasn't directed at him, and so Harry gave her a smile. "Na. It was a pretty easy summer, all things considered. I got to do just about whatever I wanted, and well…Dudley kept getting into things he shouldn't, and rather eh…paid me for my silence so to speak. Bought me all sorts of muggle stuff that wasn't all that expensive. Granted I would have kept quiet anyways, but he didn't realize it, and I enjoyed the stuff, so I just let him do it."

Hermione gave him a startled look. "What kind of muggle stuff did he get you?"

"Cd's, a portable CD player…simple stuff like that. Granted the CD player was one he had almost broken before, but oh well. All the blob had to do was go running to mommy and daddy, tell them he lost it and he had a new one the next day." Harry rolled his eyes. "Spoiled brat."

"Well, well, well, Potty and gang are reunited at last."

At the familiar drawl, Harry turned, a smirk fixed on his lips as he eyed Draco Malfoy. "Speaking of spoiled brats…here's one now, guys. What a coincidence, don't you agree, Ron?"

Ron only snickered behind his hand as he nodded, greatly enjoying the angry flush that was filling Draco's face.

"Spoiled brat, am I, Potter? I suppose it takes one to know one, now doesn't it?"

Unable to help it, Harry burst into laughter, startling those in the area as he doubled over, still laughing. It took him a few seconds to compose himself, but when he did, he straightened slowly, and looked Draco straight in the eye, a suddenly cool mask of indifference covering the laughing smile that had been there only moments before. "Malfoy, if I'm a spoiled bloody effing brat, then I don't suppose they've invented a word for what you are, yet." He paused, then slowly stalked towards the now silent and no longer smiling Draco Malfoy. "If sleeping in a cupboard for ten bloody years, having almost none of the traditional comforts a human is allowed is what you'd called 'spoiled,' then Malfoy, you need to highly reevaluate your vocabulary. Because last I checked, 'spoiled' meant expecting to have your every whim overindulged. And the only bloody person I see around here who gets that treatment is you, Ferret-Boy. So why don't you sod off, eh? Get over the fact that daddy dearest is in prison, and be thankful you've got a father."

With those parting words, Harry pushed past the now statuesque Draco, and bounded up the steps to the train, leaving a good-sized crowd to stare after him. It only took 3 seconds, however, for Hermione to snap out of her daze, and run after him, afraid of what might be going on in that head of his. The rest of the crowd slowly came to as she pushed by, following the path made by her green eyed best friend, but leaving her boyfriend standing on the platform next to his shell-shocked mother.

It took Hermione less than a minute to find Harry situated in a compartment at the rear of the train, and even less for her to drop into the seat next to him, pulling the surprised boy into a fierce hug. But slowly, his own arms wrapped around her, as the still raw wound of Sirius' death seeped its seemingly never ending grief yet again. No words were spoken, but tears were shed on both parts for very similar reasons. The sound of people outside the door of the compartment didn't register to either of them any more than the sound of the door sliding open did. However, it was rather hard to miss the enraged growl of a certain red headed young man as he looked down at his girlfriend who was wrapped in the arms of his so called best friend. The tears didn't register to his mind until Harry turned, wiping at them with one hand while the other arm stayed protectively around Hermione.

Slowly, Ron's anger dissipated as he realized that there was nothing romantic going on between the two, and he gave an apologetic half-smile in their direction as he slid the compartment door closed behind him. Dropping into the seat across from them, he turned his attention outside of the window, where he could still see his mum, waving at him from the platform. Giving her an almost embarrassed wave, he turned his eyes back to Harry and Hermione, who now sat a more respectful distance from each other. It took every thing he had to not let jealousy boil up again when he noticed Hermione's hand held in Harry's, but remembering his friend's outburst, Ron pushed the jealousy aside. Now wasn't the time for petty things like that, and for once he respected the fact that there was just something between the other two of the trio that just went far beyond words.

Roughly an hour into the train ride to Hogwarts, Harry looked up from a Defense book, casting a brief smile at Ron and Hermione as they reentered the compartment, finally returning from their rounds as the 6th year prefects for Gryffindor. Ginny and Luna weren't far behind, and slid rather gratefully into the seats that were still reserved for them by Neville and Harry. Obviously, while they both deserved their own prefect positions, it was a bit more work than either had expected…not that they would back down from the challenge of course. Harry's eyes glanced at Hermione when he felt her own gaze upon him for longer than few moments, an eyebrow raising in silent question.

Feeling her cheeks get warm with the ensuing blush caused by Harry's questioning glance, Hermione turned her own eyes away, searching for the book she had set aside to go to the prefect meeting. She was extremely pleased to see him reading, but due to his seeming unwillingness to get into a real conversation with Ron around, she held her question on what had caused the change. As she took her book from Ginny, who had accidentally sat on it, Hermione gave Ron a small smile before burying her own nose in a book.

Ron rolled his eyes from his spot next to his girlfriend, and glanced over at Harry, frowning when he got the hint that Harry wasn't up for a game of chess or exploding snap. So his eyes moved to Neville who was looking out the window, seeming rather bored. And while Neville wasn't the best at chess, playing with him would certainly be better than a train ride without anything else to do.

As the train pulled into the Hogsmeade station, Harry nudged Ginny awake from her short nap, flashing a brief smile before standing to tuck his book back into his trunk, not taking notice of the ever watchful eyes of Hermione. Neville had long since moved to the compartment where Dean and Seamus were seated in order to avoid being beaten to a pulp in chess by Ron, much to his displeasure. The Trio, plus two, headed out of their compartment and down onto the platform and into the lights of the station. Down a ways, Harry spotted Hagrid yelling for the first years who looked as terrified as any other batch Harry had seen. Smiling, Harry waved to his half-giant friend when Hagrid looked his way, unable to move any closer due to a sudden crowd of third years that had just stepped off of the train.

But Hagrid wasn't nearly as contained by the crowd, and plowed his way towards Harry, only to scoop that one into a fierce hug that had Harry fighting for air.

"Hagrid…**Hagrid**…can't…**breathe**…"

Slightly red faced in embarrassment, Hagrid laughed it off. "Sorry 'bout tha'. How ya been, 'Arry? Those relatives o' yours didn' give ya any trouble did they?"

Smiling, Harry cast a slight glance at Ron and Hermione as they fought their way to his side, both saying a quick greeting to Hagrid. "Na. Got to go on vacation actually…wasn't too bad. Best time spent with them I've ever had actually…" He laughed. "Didn't have to see them a lot though, so that might have something to do with it."

Hagrid's face split into a wide smile. "Glad ter hear it, 'Arry. I was hopin' them muggles wouldn't treat ya too bad. Not like ya can't handle yerself, or nothin, mind ya, but better ter not risk it all th' same eh?"

Fighting back more laughter, Harry nodded. "We've gotta go though, Hagrid. Don't want to miss the carriages. I'll come see you later this week though…weekend at the latest."

Hagrid nodded, half turning to push his way back towards the gathered first years. "I'll be lookin' forward to it, 'Arry…" His eyes moved to Ron and Hermione, as he added, "An' don' go thinkin' that you two can skive off on seein' me, ya hear? I'll wanna hear all about th' first week for th' three o' ya."

The trio didn't watch Hagrid's retreat to the first years for long, and instead turned, hurrying to jump into carriage that Ginny had reserved for them.

"Took you long enough!" she half way scolded as they climbed in, Harry taking the seat beside her when Ron claimed the spot at his girlfriend's side.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Harry grinned at her in the dull light of the thestral drawn carriage. "Just what you gonna do about it, Weaslette?" He teased, using the nickname that Draco had started using for her years ago, but from him, it was a term of endearment rather than an insult.

Ron glared at Harry when he heard the name, then turned, shocked, when Ginny only laughed.

"You've seen my bat-bogey hex in action, Potter…are you willing to be on the receiving end of it?"

"Idle threats, Gin…Idle threats. However…I do happen to know, thanks to a pair of your brothers, that you are very ticklish…And that, as they say, is not a threat, but a promise."

Ginny threw back her head in laughter, ignoring the amused yet shocked looks that she and Harry were receiving from her brother and Hermione. "Touché, Harry. Touché." After a brief pause, she glanced askance at him. "By the way…"

"Yes?"

"Remind me to kill Fred and George next time I see them."

This time, it was all four of the carriages passengers that were laughing, filling the night air with the sound.

As voices drifted into the main hall, a pair of sharp green eyes watched the entry of the students carefully, vision only slightly heightened by the pair of square spectacles that the professor wore. The stern styling of her hair in its tight bun was accompanied by an equally stern frown, rather common on the face of Professor McGonagall. And perhaps it was her usually stern manner that kept most students from questioning her on the presence of the walking stick she had begun using since the latter part of the year before. One group, however, felt no such qualms about speaking ill of the professor's injury. Draco Malfoy's voice was heard over the rest as he stated to his goons, Crabbe and Goyle, that he was rather certain that the many stunners that had hit McGonagall the year before should have been a hint to her that it was past time to retire given the amount of injury they inflicted.

Yet before Professor McGonagall could respond, a silky voice came from the shadows behind her as the face of another Professor, Severus Snape, appeared suddenly.

"Mister Malfoy…You are aware that you're speaking ill of a Hogwarts professor, are you not?" There was no pause for a response from Draco. "A weeks detention, Malfoy. To be served in the dungeons with myself. One would think that with an upbringing such as yours, you'd have learned to respect your elders."

Draco's mouth sagged open in shock as he looked at the greasy-haired potions master, then dropped an extra bit when he took notice, like the rest of the students, that their professor had grown a goatee over the summer. The oddest part was that it actually added an air of refinement to Severus, something which most would have thought to be virtually impossible given his disposition. Yet Draco didn't think on this long, given the fact that Snape raised an eyebrow and asked if the details of his punishment were clear enough, or was he simply hoping to receive more time.

Frowning, Draco finally answered. "No, the details were clear, **sir**." He stressed the term purposely, almost sarcastically.

"Good. Then you'll begin them tomorrow evening after dinner, Mr. Malfoy." Snape's black eyes traveled over the assembled students. "Well…" The silky tone did nothing to hide the force behind the single word. "What are you waiting for? No doubt the first years are already across the lake…get yourselves seated." The second years and above all were jolted by being addressed, and there was a sudden rush of people trying to enter the Great Hall at the same time. Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall gave a brief nod in Snape's direction, a mild thanks for his handling the situation before she turned and headed to pick up the first year students from Hagrid's care.

Snape turned on his heel, and moved past the students entering the hall. Only a few steps had him at a hall you wouldn't normally notice unless you looked for it, and he turned, walking its length until he came to another door that he pushed open. The door opened to the area behind the staff table, and fell closed behind him as he slid easily into his own seat at the table. Filius Flitwick turned, greeting him in his usual chipper fashion, leaving Snape to wonder how on earth he ever survived these feasts.

**__**

Draco Malfoy's POV -

As I slide into my spot between Crabbe and Goyle, I can't help but glance at the other tables in the hall. Potter and crew are seated together, as always, but instead of taking a seat by Potter as she normally does, the mud blood Granger is sitting by Weasley, seeming rather unhappy about the arrangement. But then again, the young Weaslette is seated by Pot-head, and that might have something to do with it. I've always thought that Granger and Potter had a thing for each other.

I turn half-heartedly in Pansy's direction as she starts telling me of all the latest gossip, including that apparently, Granger is dating Weasley. Shocked, I glance back to the Gryffindors. That would explain why Weasley looks so damn smug. He got something Potter didn't. Stupid greedy asshole. Not that I feel sorry for Potter, mind you. But Weasley's a greedy son of a witch (literally, HA!), and everyone knows it. He's always been jealous of Potter and myself for our wealth, never thinking of what it means to have that money. Oh, I wouldn't give up the money for much, don't misunderstand that. It comes in quite handy, I will admit. But the fame that comes with it? I could live without that as easily as I could live without my father or aunt. They're selfish, power-hungry idiots who don't realize what Moldy's done to them or their family. Nor do they really care, to be honest. And when I say Moldy, I mean Voldemort. That's a name that Blaise and I came up with a year or so ago for the SOB. He's not worth all that "Lord" crap he spews.

Surprised I don't wanna be a death eater like dear old dad? Don't be. I'd rather follow my own way than that of a half-dead ass who'd as soon feed you to his pet snake as he would kill a muggle, regardless of what you do for him. Serving him, I figure, is a one way ticket to death. If you please him, oh, he'll toy with you and let you live for a while. But whether by his hand or that of an Auror or even Pot-head, you'll end up dead. No bones about it. Granted standing up to him or my father isn't exactly a way to live, either. I'd rather take my chances with the old muggle-loving Dumbledore than Voldie any day. At least Dumbledore would actually try to protect me.

My musing about the war is cut short when I take notice of the first years heading in, looking scared and yet awed at the same time, per usual. Can't blame them. Hogwarts is pretty fascinating, but still…have to know how to mask your emotions. Its somewhat of a required skill around here. Show your emotions as plainly as Weasley over there, and you get picked on. It's a fact of life. I turn my eyes towards the front of the hall, glancing at Snape as I do so. I don't know why he's giving me a detention for trying to knock a Gryffindor off of their pedestal, but I guess I've got a week to find out.

****

The Sorting Hat's Song -

The entire hall was quieted by McGonagall as she set a ragged old hat down upon the three-legged stool that now was in place upon the raised platform where the staff table was. First years looked on in curiosity and fear, while the older students were a mix of amusement, boredom and curiosity of their own, waiting for whatever was to happen next. And after the hat's warning the previous year, even the staff seemed to be holding its breath.

Finally, the old hat came to life; a rip near the brim served as its mouth, while the wrinkles near its pointed top seemed to take on an eye-like shape. Then, without warning, it broke into its song.

__

Like the year before, the hat warned of the penalties of Hogwart's houses being at war, rather pointedly naming Slytherin and Gryffindor in particular. The entire hall remained silent as the hat ended its song, then broke into whispers, some wondering if the separation of the Hogwarts houses really meant that much in the war against Voldemort. But the whispers died back down as McGonagall took the hat off of the stool and pulled a roll of parchment with the names of the first years from her robes. She called them off, one by one, as in the many years before, and waved them to the proper tables when they were finally sorted. The houses cheered when they received a new student, some smiling in welcome, while others gave a look of warning ((A/N: Draco & goons)).

The sorting finally ended a few minutes later, and at the head table, Professor Dumbledore stood up, his blue eyes looking out over the students for a moment. Finally, a smile broke out on his face, and he spoke. "There is a time for speeches and rules, but first, the feast!"

**__**

Hermione's POV -

I can't help but look up at the head table for the umpteenth time tonight, wondering where the new Defense professor could be. Dumbledore never gave any hints over the summer as to who it might be, so naturally I'm praying its not another one like that…that…thing…that tried to teach us last year. I still don't understand why Dumbledore didn't just rehire Remus, but I suppose that he had his reasons. Like the whole bigotry thing against werewolves…if only people could understand that just because you're a certain race doesn't mean you're all bad. But oh well.

Speaking of Remus…

"Hey, Harry?"

Its obvious that Harry doesn't like being interrupted from the plate in front of him, which he's piled with food, but he raises his eyes anyway and tilts his head. "Yeah?"

"Did Remus mention who the new Defense professor was going to be? I mean, surely Dumbledore told him…"

Harry smiles, lifting his head further away from his plate now. "I asked him, but he said it was a big surprise. So I reckon its someone good, ya know? Though it wouldn't take much to be better than the creature we had last year." His smile turns to a smirk, and I can't help but smile at him as I nod in agreement. "Kinda funny, actually. Umbridge makes such a fuss over werewolves and stuff being evil and 'lesser creatures,' but she's worse than Remus or Hagrid by a long shot!"

Ron snorts into his plate, never lifting his head. "You can say that one again, mate." He shovels in another forkful of food, making me gag and turn away before he speaks, spraying food onto the table. "Downright evil she was."

Harry must have noticed my discomfort with Ron's table manners, as he smacks Ron's head at a rare moment when his ((Ron's)) mouth is empty. "Ron, you're grossing Hermione out! Me too, actually. Keep your food in your mouth would ya?"

Ron's face reddens slightly, and he smiles apologetically while swallowing his current mouthful. "Sorry…"

I nod at him, then glance up at the head table again, and back to Harry. "Did Remus say anything about the new professor at all aside from that it was going to be a surprise?"

My timing couldn't have been worse, as Harry had just taken a rather large bite of pumpkin pie, and he looked up at me, as if surprised that I was still talking. I waited patiently as he finished the bite, taking a sip of my pumpkin juice, but making sure to keep my eyes on him so he didn't try to not answer.

If I didn't know better, I'd swear he rolled his eyes as he finally swallowed and answered me. "No, he didn't give me any clues, Hermione. For all I know Snape could be teaching us or something."

I sigh, then nod. "I had to ask." With one last glance at the head table, this time focusing on Professor Dumbledore for a second, I finally turn back to my own desert…pumpkin pie. Here's hoping Dumbledore's sense of what makes a good Defense teacher is more in line with what he picked 3rd year…

As the feast finally ended and plates cleared, Dumbledore stood up from his place at the head table again, his kind face a warm reminder that for now, they were safe and sound within the walls of the one place Voldemort would have to be crazy to try and overtake this early in the war. The room slowly fell silent as all eyes turned to the headmaster, waiting to see what announcements he had this year.

"Well, as we are now all fed and watered, there are a few announcements for this year. I'm sure most of you are wondering about the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and given our past luck with them, I decided that a familiar face will take the position this year. After all, no one can say that I lack the skills necessary to teach the class." There was a buzz through the hall, excitement running through a good deal of the students at the idea of being taught by the best wizard of the age. "But as I do have the duties of Headmaster to fill as well, Remus Lupin and Nyphadora Tonks will be teaching in my stead as needed."

"Also, the rules of Hogwarts still remain the same, something a few of you could do to remember." His eyes lingered on the Trio for a moment, a smile still on his face before he continued. "As such, the Forbidden Forest, as its name suggests, is forbidden to all students. Those of you who are of a mind to buy items from Zonko's or Weasley Wizarding Wheezes will note that a good deal of those things, as well as others, are not to be used in the hallways. A full list of such items can be found on the door to our caretaker, Mr. Filch's, office." He glanced towards a side door in the great hall, then turned his eyes back to the students. "And now, we have a special guest who would like to speak to all of you before you retire to your dormitories for the night." His eyes turned back to the door. "Our new Minister of Magic, Mr. Amos Diggory."

**__**

Amos Diggory's POV -

As I step out into the Great Hall again for the first time since the last Tri-Wizard Tournament a not quite two years ago, I can't help but take in the sights. Every student is watching me, and I know a good deal of them remember Cedric and know I'm his father. I can't help but wonder how many of them still refuse to believe that Vol…Voldemort is alive and the cause of Cedric's death. With any luck, the lack of belief won't be their downfall. Unfortunately, however, lady luck has a habit of turning to someone else when you want her aid the most.

Slowly, I move to in front of the head table, front and center. This is the first time I can remember seeing the room from this point of view, and its quite intimidating, let me tell you. But when I realize that, in some way, these young witches and wizards are really looking to me to lead them and keep them safe, that's all the courage I need.

"I'm sure that none of you were expecting a visit from me this early in the year, if at all, really. But as Minister, I feel its my duty to ensure your safety and happiness at Hogwarts isn't ruined by the state of affairs in the wizarding world. Yes, Voldemort is back, and quickly regaining his strength. Don't fool yourselves into thinking otherwise. Former Minister, Mr. Fudge, saw the dark lord with his own eyes, not even 5 months ago. My son, whom a good deal of you knew of here at Hogwarts was murdered by Voldemort just shy of two years ago. I've never believed otherwise."

I pause, taking in the expressions of the students. Most are shocked at my bluntness I'm sure, but its required in situations like this. My eyes fall to Harry Potter and his friends for a moment, and Harry gives a brief bow of his head in my direction in way of showing his respect, then meets my gaze directly, giving a smile of gratitude that surprises me. I'm not sure what I did to deserve the latter, but I still smile and nod once in return.

"But behind these walls, you are all safer than anywhere else I could send you. The professors here are all amazingly talented witches and wizards, as you would know personally from their classes, and have already sworn to protect every last student in this castle. What you may not realize, however, is the protections the castle itself provides. The founders imbued its walls and the grounds with ancient magics that none have ever managed to duplicate since. However, in the past, we've seen the limitations of both the professors and the castle tested. Which is why I am placing specialized guards here at Hogwarts. Some are Aurors, others are not…but all are people I would trust with my own life…and yours."

I turn as Dumbledore comes to stand beside me, and he gives me a warm smile that is full of pride and reminds me heartily of my own days as a student here. He knows my speech is finished, and looks out at the students for a moment himself.

"Thank you, Minister. However, despite our new Minister's confidence in Hogwart's and its professors, I do urge you all to exercise the utmost caution at all times. After all, it is better safe than sorry, as the muggles say."

Dumbledore gave another of his warm smiles, then dismissed the students, leaving them in the hands of the prefects.

I nod again, then after a brief goodbye to him and the students, I leave the great hall for the Headmaster's office.

**__**

Gryffindor 6th Year Boys Dorms, After the Feast -

Harry doubled over in laughter as he watched Ron chase Dean around the dorms, trying to take back his much prized Chudley Cannon's hat. Seamus and Neville were both sitting on the ends of their own beds, watching the chase with interest, laughing and enjoying the spectacle. Finally, Ron snatched the hat from Dean's grip and tucked it back into his trunk, casting a glare at the boy over his shoulder, as Dean only laughed.

"Should've seen your face, Ron. Priceless!" Seamus jested, then slid off his bed, and imitated Ron as he danced around. "Oh, give me my hat back, Dean!…Not fair!…Come on!…ARGH!" Seamus laughed, his voice mocking Ron's slightly lower tone.

This alone had Harry nearly falling off the edge of his bed, gripping his sides in laughter. But a pillow to the head had him jerking upright, laughter stopped as he glared around the room to find the culprit. Ron stood there, another pillow in hand, grinning widely. "Teach you to laugh at me, mate!"

"Oh yeah?" Harry countered, and stood, grabbing his wand from his back pocket. With a flick, he banished the pillows from the other dorm beds towards Ron, and another flick had the pillows beating on Ron repeatedly as Harry started laughing again.

"Might as well give up, Ron!" Neville laughed. "Harry's downright evil with those hexes and stuff!"

"Well, you boys certainly seem to be enjoying yourselves…"

The feminine voice from the doorway had all activity stopping. The pillows Harry had been charming to hit Ron fell to the floor suddenly, as he lowered his wand and spun towards the door. And the other boys' laughter died as they turned, looking more than a little guilty as they spied Hermione standing there, hands on her hips, clad in a dressing gown that hung to her bare feet. But slowly, a smile formed on her lips, and she shook her head.

"Boys," she muttered, very much amused before turning to Harry. "I just came up to see if I could borrow Hedwig, Harry. Mum and dad wanted me to write them after I got here…I think they're getting a bit paranoid." The last bit was said with a hint of a laugh, and she glanced at Ron before looking back to Harry.

Smiling now, Harry gave a shrug of indifference. "You can use her if you want…Not like I send a lot of letters during the school term or anything." He gave a snort of amusement. "Sides…Hedwig seemed to have enjoyed her time at your house over the summer, bloody well got all broody and stuff being cooped up at Privet Drive. Not that I blame her of course. Anything's better than that place, just about."

Nodding, Hermione waved goodbye to the boys, flashing a smile at Harry and Ron as she left, closing the dormitory door behind her.

After a few moments, Dean glanced at Ron. "Bloody lucky, you are, Ron. That girl's gone and grown up on us…"

Ron's smile turned to a smug, very self-satisfied grin as he settled onto his bed. "Lucky is exactly the word I'd use, mate."

Rolling his eyes, Harry turned for his own bed, shedding his t-shirt in the process, as he had taken to sleeping shirtless over the summer. Too many nights of waking up with his shirts sweat-soaked and tangled around his body from nightmares had taught him it was better to just forget bothering with the article of clothing in the first place. But a wolf-whistle from Dean had Harry turning and glaring at him in mock anger while the other three took in the obvious change in their dorm-mate.

"Bloody hell, Harry…what'd you do this summer? Lift bricks or something?"

Harry laughed, blushing some at Neville's question, and shook his head as he climbed into bed. "Na. Just worked out a little. Cleared my head and stuff."

Ron raised an eyebrow, somewhat confused, before shaking his head. "Whatever you say, mate."

Seamus glanced at Harry. "You spend the summer at Hermione's or something, Harry?"

Frowning, he shook his head. "No….what makes you ask that, Seamus?"

"Your comment about your owl bein' at her place and all."

Harry laughed. "Oh…that. I spent the summer out of the country, so I sent Hedwig to Hermione's. She doesn't have an owl of her own, and Ron's owl drives Hedwig nuts, so it seemed the best choice."

Ron laughed. "Your owl's just stuck up, mate. Pig's pretty cool. Bloody noisy as hell, but better then Errol, that's for sure."

"Mate, anything's better than Errol. You had it right in second year…Bloody bird's a menace."

Seemingly bored with the current topic, Dean glanced at Ron. "What's it like dating Granger, eh, Ron? She all serious like normal or what?"

Knowing what Dean really wanted to know, Ron stretched out, then cast the same smug grin from before in his direction. "Bloody wildcat, mate…lemme tell ya…have to bribe her to keep her hands off of me…"

No one would later be able to say exactly what happened, but in the blink of an eye, Harry was off his dorm bed, had yanked Ron off of his, and slammed the red-head against the wall, Ron's feet hanging a good few inches off the ground. Green eyes narrowed dangerously, and Harry's voice took on a menacing tone "Talk about Hermione like that again in front of me, **_Ronald_**…she's not a bloody prize you bagged, so don't act like she is."

Still furious, Harry snatched his t-shirt from his trunk and slid into it as he walked out of the dorm room, slamming the door behind him. Shaking, Ron slid to the floor, startled by the display of strength from Harry. Slowly, his eyes moved to Dean, Seamus and Neville who were seemingly frozen in place, staring at the door. "What in the bloody hell got in to him?"

****

A/N: Finished this chapter finally…oy the holidays are a pain. But I am working on this as much as I can…PROMISE!

**Up next: **First day of term - A Mess in Potions, and more…


	3. Chapter 2 Confronting the Unexpected

**_Faith_**

**_Chapter 2 "Confronting the Unexpected" - Edited Version_**

**_By: RogueBHS_**

Author Notes: I swear, it doesn't matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get more than once chapter a month. growls in frustration But yeah…I am trying to work on this as much as possible. I guess part of the problem is I am writing such long chapters! LOL! Oh well! Thanks again for the reviews on Portkey!Also, I've never heard for certain what year Roger Davies (Ravenclaw), so he's a 7th year in order to suit my purposes and based on what I found on a website. And is TOTALLY messing up on me, so read this on Porktey if you get annoyed...same username (RogueBHS), different site.

All metric values were calculated by Yahoo's Metric Converter. Any values that are wrong, I apologize ahead of time for. I will be posting the American equivalent in parenthesis at all times. 

Also: If you see a lowercase letter in double parenthesis like this: ((a)), that means there is an Author note about that area of the chapter at the bottom. This is primarily for spells and such. Numbers in a double parenthesis are used to indicate songs when used in a chapter. Look at the end of the chapter for listings of such things.

Main Characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Sabine Kington (OC), Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin and others…like Voldemort for instance. ;)Couples: Ron/Hermione, Ginny/Draco, Dumbledore/McGonagall (hinted mostly), Harry/Cho, Harry/Hermione, Lavender/Ron/Luna and others.

Full Plot Summary: Most would think that with the OWLs over and done with, and NEWTS not being taken until the next school year, that Harry Potter would have an easy 6th year. But when you add up the loss of his godfather, the weight of the prophecy, harder classes, girl trouble, and the ever looming threat of Voldemort and his followers…Not to mention a changing group of friends, Harry's 6th year may well be the hardest yet. Oh yes…did I mention being ladies man? (giggle)

Chapter 2, "Confronting the Unexpected"Harry's POV -

As I wake up from some of the soundest sleep I've had in ages, I have to squint to see even blurs as sun sneaks in through the curtains making me hiss in displeasure. I can hear the others moving around, and sigh as I drag open the hangings around my bed and slip my feet to the floor. A blur that looks like Seamus is digging in what I'd imagine would be his trunk, and when I slip on my glasses, that theory is confirmed. Paying closer attention, I realize he's telling Dean about some muggle football (soccer) event he attended this year and is looking for the stuff he bought to show it off. Rolling my eyes, I wave blearily to Ron as he pulls on his Hogwart's robes, obviously ready to head down already. He asks if I want him to wait, and I wave him on, shaking my head as I grab the stuff I need from my trunk and head into the washrooms.It doesn't take me long to get ready, being as its not like my hair will ever cooperate anyway. I head back into the dorms, and toss my clothes onto the top of my trunk before turning and grabbing my new school robes from the chair by my bed. I turn when I hear a scuffling sound, and nearly laugh at the sight of Neville, half under his bed, wiggling around.

"Looking for something, Neville?"

He pulls out from under the bed quickly, looking more than a little embarrassed. "Yeah. Trevor got out of his cage when I was going to feed him, and kinda decided to hide under my bed."

I shake my head in amusement at the trouble that toad has given Neville since first year. "Try the Accio charm, Neville. Should work fine."

He nods and thanks me as I turn, finally heading out of the dorms. I take the stairs to the common room two at a time, then slow when I see a head of wavy brown hair. Crazy as it may be, I'd know that head of hair anywhere, and knowing that she has no idea I've come down stairs yet, I decide to surprise her. Years of walking under my father's invisibility cloak have taught me to walk quietly, and its easiest on carpet floors like those in the common room, so I have no trouble making it to her unannounced. Pavarti and Lavender almost blow my cover, but I shake my head at them, and they giggle, but don't let Hermione know I'm there.

When I'm within arm's reach, I give her hair a slight tug on the right side, then hurdle the couch to her left, as her head whips around to look over her right shoulder. But when she hears the 'plop' I make as I land on the couch beside her, her head whips just as fast back in my direction. Seeing me, she fixes on a mock glare and brandishes her wand, though we both know she'd never use it against me.

"Harry James Potter, I should hex you into next week! You scared me!"

I put on my best 'sad puppy face' as the girls call it as she finishes her short rant, and bow my head just a little as if I'm sorry. "You wouldn't really hex me into next week, would you, Mione?"

My tone, along with the face, is enough to have her softening immediately, and she sighs. I know she hates when I use my 'sad puppy face' on her, but sometimes its just too damn tempting.

"No…not over a simple hair tug anyway…" She smiles, and I can't help but smile right back. She's so damn cute when she smiles, you know. Wait…SHIT. I did NOT just think my best mate's girl was cute. Alright, I did…but…but…awww screw it. Ron can't read minds, so I guess I'm safe for now. When she tilts her head a little, still smiling at me, I get wary. She only does that when she wants to know something that I probably don't wanna tell her. Unfortunately, its my downfall every bloody time.

"Harry," she begins softly, and my wariness doubles. "Since when did you start calling me, 'Mione,' anyway?"

I can't help but release a sigh of relief, then shrug. "Just did, I suppose. That's alright, isn't it? I mean, if you don't…"

She cuts me off with a laugh, and shakes her head. "No, no. I don't mind. Its just the first time anyone's called me that except for my parents, is all."

I nod, then glance at my watch, shocked when I realize breakfast is almost half over. "Come on, we'd better get down to the great hall if we want any breakfast. Besides, McGonagall is going to be handing out schedules any minute." I stand up, then turn, extending my hand to her, wordlessly offering to help her up. She seems surprised at first, but then smiles, and slides her hand into mine before standing up almost effortlessly.

There's something about the way her hand fits in mine though that makes almost all other thoughts go away, and I can't help but stare at her. Most people have commented on my growing up over the summer, but its now that I take stock of how Mione's grown too. Like me, she's lost a good deal of what I guess you'd call 'baby fat,' from her face, leaving it beautifully sculpted, topped off with those sparkling cinnamon and honey eyes and lips that…Merlin help me, I'm rather dying to kiss right now.

I shake my head to clear that thought just as Neville comes tumbling down the last few stairs, causing Hermione to finally look away from me. I allow my own gaze to turn in his direction, and give him a sympathetic smile. Sighing, I pull my hand from Hermione's, taking an extra second to admire the smoothness of it against mine before I walk towards Neville and offer him a hand up as well. He looks highly embarrassed at having fallen, but heaves up with some help. Laughing, I shake my head. "Today just hasn't started out great for ya has it, mate?"

Neville shakes his head as he and I walk back towards Hermione. "I did get Trevor out though, and back in his cage. Thanks for your help on that, Harry."

I shake my head, denying any thanks. "Not a problem, Nev."

I smile at Hermione again, and pause as Neville continues towards the Portrait hole. She laughs softly, and slides her hand back into mine as if it's the most natural thing in the world, and pulls me gently after Neville. And like any good puppy, I follow oh so willingly. As we head down the hall, she turns the talk to the classes we're in, and I glance at her as I grin. "I got into NEWT Potions, actually…"

Hermione stops dead, and turns to look at me, shocked, then, on a squeal of delight, she hugs me tightly. When she pulls back, she's smiling broadly. "Oh, I knew you could do it, Harry!"

If there's one thing I've loved for years, its making Mione proud of me. I've never been able to explain it, but there's just something about the smile and praise she gives that always makes me feel better about myself. I shrug lightly, and wink at her. "It's a lot easier to make a potion without Snape breathing down my neck. Wish you could teach the class…or at least ours, so maybe I'd quit doing so poorly the rest of the time. Cause your notes helped."

She blushes a little as we start walking again, and glances at Neville. "What about you?"

"I got into Potions too…like Harry said, it's a lot easier without Snape there." He shudders. "Don't know why someone else can't teach the NEWT classes at least."

Hermione smiles again, patting Neville on the shoulder. "That's great Nev. But hey, at least the NEWTs themselves are given by Snape, right?"

"Yeah," he said slowly. "But the test at the end of this year is, and it decides if we continue the class or not."

Hermione shakes her head. "Don't worry about it. You'll do fine. Besides, you've got me and Harry in the class, so its not like you're the only Gryffindor or anything."

Slowly, Neville nods, a smile appearing on his face. "You're right." Then he pauses, thinking. "Having a load of Gryffindors never really helped though…so…"

Laughing, I slap him on the shoulder. "Better than nothing, mate. I heard from Katie that Potions actually gets a little easier for NEWTs, since Snape has less Slytherins in there to praise. Turns out Slytherin generally has the fewest students to get into NEWT classes…especially for Charms and Transfiguration." I smirk. "Fair turnabout for them treating Flitwick and McGonagall like they do, if ya ask me."

As we finally enter the great hall, I scan the Gryffindor table for a place to sit, spotting a huge vacancy near Ginny and Colin almost immediately, then see Ron a good bit down the table, with only a few spots open near him. He's leaning over the table, talking to Dean about something, and they both burst into laughter moments later, causing me to shake my head. Some things never change, I guess. I glance at Neville when he slides into the spot next to Ginny, greeting her before he reaches for a plate of food near him. Hermione sits down across from them, then reaches out, grabbing my wrist and pulling me down onto the same bench next to her. She winks, then asks Neville to pass the pitcher of juice as I right myself on the bench.

In an old habit, we fill each others plates with different things, taking a bite and commenting on the flavor before insisting the other try it too. I notice the grin Ginny's wearing as she watches us, but ignore it. For now, I'm enjoying settling back into old habits with a good friend at Hogwarts…home. As Mione and I eat, she starts talking 'prefect talk' with Ginny, and I listen in, finding it almost amusing how alike the two sound at that moment. They both love being prefects, of course, and they wouldn't trade the responsibility for anything I don't think. Something occurs to me, and when their conversation finally slows, I look to Hermione.

"Hey…who's head boy and girl this year?"

Mione turns her head to look at me, and smiles. "A Ravenclaw and a Slytherin, actually. You remember Roger Davies, right?" When I nod, she continues. "Well, he made Head Boy somehow, and the head girl is one of those Slytherin girls you see but never really hear a lot about."

Ginny laughed, "Unless it's the guys, Hermione. I think all of them have eyed her at one point or another, despite the fact she's in Slytherin."

Frowning, I glance at the Slytherin table then back to Mione and Ginny. "Who, though?"

"Sabine Kington," Mione answers easily, returning to her breakfast while I play the name in my mind, trying to put the name to a face. I look back at the Slytherin table again, looking for any of the girls who look old enough to be in seventh year, and finally spot the one I'm looking for. After Ginny's comment, I know that she's got to be good looking…and boy is this girl. Her hair is as black as mine, but a hell of a lot more tame, lucky for her…granted the fact that it's a lot longer probably has something to do with that. She must have felt me looking at her, because she raises her eyes to mine, and even from here I can tell they're an amazing shade of blue. I feel a bit of a blush rise to my cheeks at being caught staring, but wave slightly anyway, causing her to smile.

And damn if she doesn't have a pretty smile to boot. I'm half surprised that she didn't scowl at me, what with her being in Slytherin and me being in Gryffindor and all. But hey, not all Slytherins are bad I suppose. They just tend to act like they've got a really bad attitude problem…Draco Malfoy, for example. Sabine kinda smirks at something at the same time I feel Hermione glaring at me. Curious, I look at her, wondering what on earth I did wrong, only to have her turn away and attack her food with a vengeance. Umm…right. Sometimes I wonder if Ron wasn't right in first year when he called Mione 'mental.' But hey, I'm a Gryffindor, right? So…

"Umm….Mione?" I flinch as she stabs her pancakes. "Did I do something wrong?"

She suddenly slices a piece of sausage in half, and I can't help but wince. "What on earth gave you the idea that you did something wrong?"

"Umm…I dunno. You just seem kinda mad at something or someone. And, uh…I thought maybe I did something without realizing it…I am the one sitting next to you right?"

She sighs and drops her fork to her plate with a clatter, then looks at me, a half smile on her face. "You didn't do anything Harry. I was just thinking about something, I'm sorry."

That doesn't explain her glaring at me, but oh well. I think I'm gonna let it pass. This girl is not one to mess with, as quite a few in the school would tell you. So I nod, and turn back to my own breakfast, almost finishing my bacon when I realize that Hermione is sitting stiffly in her seat beside me. Curious, I lift my head, glancing in her direction, noticing in the process that Ginny is suddenly very interested in her own plate. Frowning, I turn my head to look over my shoulder, only to spy someone in Gryffindor robes standing behind me. As I turn more fully, I take notice of the Gryffindor Prefect badge placed proudly over the Gryffindor crest on the robes, and realize at once that its Ron. When my eyes finally meet his, I realize he's glaring at me. Wondering what on earth I've done to anger my two best friends this morning, I sigh, then stand, ready to take whatever he throws at me.Great Hall, Breakfast, cont. -

Of the many things Harry had been expecting Ron to throw, a fist to the face wasn't one of them. Thus, it was no small amount of surprise that registered when Ron's fist connected solidly with his nose, making a rather sickening crunching sound. A squirt of blood shot from the now broken nose, then slowly, more blood began to trickle steadily from the wound. Harry's green eyes flared as he realized the extent of the damage, and he ignored the shocked squeals and screams of the girls nearby. And for once, he fully ignored the concerned words from Hermione as she reached for him. While it was painful, Harry questioned, "What the bloody…oww…hell was that for?"

Ron's blue eyes blazed. "You aughta know, mate. I haven't even been dating her two weeks and already you're trying to take her away…"

Though no name was mentioned, Harry knew at once who Ron was speaking of, and let out a low growl of anger. "I warned you, Ron."

Then, rather like the night before, Harry's fist came out of no where, slamming hard into Ron's jaw, sending him stumbling towards the Hufflepuff table. Hermione's scream to stop barely registered to either boy, and without warning, Ron dove for Harry, knocking the wind out of him and sending them both slamming into the seat Harry had vacated only seconds before. Groaning at the harsh edge of the wooden table pressing against his spine, Harry pushed Ron off of him, then stood. Grabbing a napkin from the table, he pressed it gingerly to his nose, still glaring at Ron. "What in the hell's gotten into you?"

"I told you…so stay the hell away from my girl!"

At this, Hermione shoved Ron hard in the shoulder. "Who I'm friends with is absolutely nothing you'll control, Ron. Try, and I'll hex you into next week!" As if to add purpose to the threat, she pulled her wand from her robes and pointed it directly at her boyfriend. "Honestly, Ron! Harry's our friend, for Merlin's sake!"

Enraged at her defending Harry, Ron pushed her out of the way and turned his eyes back to his friend. "Got her brainwashed, don't you? Bloody boy who…"

Ron didn't get to finish his sentence, as seeing the red-head push Mione like that was all the ammunition Harry's anger needed to fire up again. And with a shocking intensity, his fist went flying, hitting Ron squarely in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him, and this time, sending him sprawling on the floor just as a shocked voice spoke up.

"Mr. Potter!"

Recognizing the voice at once, Harry turned slowly, his expression changing from one of anger to one of guilt as the sight of Professor McGonagall confirmed his fears. But much to his surprise, Professors Snape and Dumbledore were also standing there, silently watching the scene.

"Explain yourselves at once!"

"Minerva, I think this would be best discussed in a more private location."

The ever calm logic of Dumbledore had McGonagall pausing briefly before she nodded in agreement. "Of course, Professor Dumbledore."

"My office is the closest, so…shall we adjourn then?"

Nodding, Professor McGonagall motioned for Harry and Ron to go ahead of her, then paused before motioning to Hermione as well. "Since I'm sure you'd insist on coming along anyway, Miss Granger," McGonagall informed her stiffly as the group headed out of the Great Hall, leaving behind a sudden rush of whispers from every table.Dumbledore's Office -

As Dumbledore gave the password for his office, causing the stone statue to move aside, revealing the staircase, Hermione and Ron looked around, taking in details about the area that led to the headmaster's office. Harry, however, stood off to the side, looking as if he couldn't care less that he was standing at the entrance. Slowly, the Trio followed Dumbledore up the steps, Professors Snape and McGonagall taking the rear to keep them from going too slowly. When the door was pushed open, Hermione and Ron continued to look around, looking for any changes since their last visit to the office. Moving past them, Harry took the center chair in front of the desk, setting his book bag down beside it. The three professors moved to the other side of the desk, and with a brief flick of Dumbledore's wand, two chairs appeared, one on either side of his own for Snape and McGonagall.

When all were seated, Dumbledore peered over his spectacles at the three, slowly moving from Ron to Harry to Hermione, then back to Harry for a moment. "As I am quite certain you all know the rules about fighting here at Hogwarts, I suppose I will move straight to asking for an explanation." His blue eyes moved back to Hermione. "Miss Granger, if you would, please, tell what you saw."

On a sigh, Hermione explained the fight from her perspective, including, at the enquiring glances of Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore that she and Ron were dating when she told of Ron's words in the fight. Much to Ron's obvious displeasure, she made it quite clear that he, not Harry, had thrown the first punch, which was how Harry's nose had gotten broken. Hermione recounted every detail she could, giving extra explanation where she felt it was needed, only stopping when the story was told in full.

"Thank you, Miss Granger."

Hermione nodded briefly to Dumbledore at his thanks, adding a half smile.

"Now then, I believe you can go ahead and go to your classes." He glanced aside at Professor McGonagall. "You have her schedule still, Minerva?"

At the reminder, the professor nodded, then handed the Trio's schedule's across to them. Looking over her schedule, Hermione glanced up. "I'm supposed to be in NEWT Potions, sir. And with Professor Snape here…"

Nodding briefly in understanding, Dumbledore smiled. "Then go explore the castle, if you wish. I'll send a notice down to the class shortly informing them they're dismissed."

Unsurprisingly, Hermione seemed disappointed that the class was canceled for today, but picked up her book bag and stood, casting a final glance at Ron and Harry before turning and heading for the door. When she was gone, Dumbledore looked over the two boys. "Is there anything you wish to add to Miss Granger's description of events? Mister Weasley? Mister Potter?"

Both shook their heads in the negative, knowing perfectly well that they were going to be lucky if they didn't get two months detention at the least.

"Well then, Minerva, as you are their head of house…" Dumbledore trailed off, his blue eyes now moving to her.

"Three weeks detention for you, Mr. Weasley. And two to Mr. Potter. To be served separately, of course.. And I will be informing your parents, Mr. Weasley." Her shrewd green eyes moved to Harry. "As Professor Dumbledore is your primary guardian in the wizarding world now, Mr. Potter, you can obviously consider him informed."

Ron bristled. "Why do I get an extra week?"

Professor McGonagall glared at him over her square-rimmed glasses, as she would to any student who used such a tone with her. "You were the instigator of the fight. And as such, I feel you deserve the extra punishment. Understood?"

Realizing any further insubordination would get him more detention, Ron only nodded quietly, hanging his head.

Dumbledore rose from his seat, glancing at them both. "You're both dismissed, and I would recommend a trip to Madam Pomfrey for each of you." He smiled at Harry. "She'll be glad that you at least waited till the first day of term to pay her a visit, I'm sure."

Harry gave the headmaster a half smile. "Yeah." He glanced to Professor McGonagall, not saying a word, then finally turned his eyes to Ron. "Come on. I'm sure she's gonna wonder what we did this time…"

Snorting in amusement, Ron looked to Harry. "Sure. She gets to see her favorite patient this early in the term; she's definitely gonna wonder what we had time to get into already."Harry's POV (again) -

As I hurry up the stairs towards Transfiguration, the note from Madam Pomfrey in my bag, I mentally curse the fact that she had insisted on keeping me for an extra half an hour while the cartilage in my nose grew back thanks to the spell she had used. Though it could be worse. According to Madam Pomfrey, I managed to crack Ron's jaw bone with that punch, so he's still laying in there under the effects of a mild sleeping potion to keep him from moving around. I'm nearly to the landing for the floor I need when suddenly, I crash head on into someone. The impact is enough to send me falling backwards down the stairs, my book bag falling from my arm and going flying down to the previous landing. And while I'm no stranger to pain, the idea of a cracked skull from the stone steps just doesn't sound fun, so instead, I grab for the railing with one arm, then throw the other behind me to try and break the fall.

But before I even land, I hear a voice I don't recognize saying a spell that stops me mid-fall, followed by a "Wingardium Leviosa" that levitates me back to my feet. For balance, I again grab at the railing as my feet set on the ground again, and look up, only to come face to face with Hogwart's head girl, Sabine Kington. Being closer to her now than I was at breakfast, I take a minute to look her over again. She's definitely beautiful…no doubt about that.

"Are you ok?"

Her voice breaks my short-lived musing, and I nod slowly. "Yeah. You?"

She laughs softly, but it's a far cry from the giggling stuff Cho and her friends always seem to do. "I'm fine. I just got thrown back onto the landing, unlike you."

"That's good." Curious, I tilt my head a little. "What was that spell you used anyway? The one that kept me from falling?"

"Oh…it's a charm…Professor Flitwick teaches it in sixth year, so you'll be learning soon, I'm sure. I think its called the Stillness charm or something. Your friend Hermione probably knows it."

Unlike when most girls mention Mione's intellect, there's no venom or general dislike in Sabine's tone, which is an automatic point earner with me, so I smile. "Wouldn't surprise me if she did. She's always reading ahead."

She nods, returning my smile. "So I've heard." A quick glance at her watch has the smile fading. "And I've gotta get going. Potions next, and all that."

"Alright…uh…see you around, I guess."

She laughs again as she moves by me. "Bye, Harry."

And with that, she continues down the stairs, leaving me to watch her for a moment before remembering that I didn't even introduce myself. Then again, knowing my luck, there's not a kid in Hogwarts who wouldn't know me on sight. The fact that I'm missing more and more of Transfiguration occurs to me, and I turn in the same direction she's heading, casting a quick "Accio" to my book bag. When its in my hands, I rummage through it, making sure everything is still in it. As I lift my eyes from the search, I catch a glimpse of Sabine a few floors down. Damn. I didn't even thank her really. I finally turn to job towards Transfiguration, deciding that I'll send her a quick note later to tell her thanks. Hedwig's gonna be happy with me…especially since I got those new OWL treats. Heh heh.Hogwarts Library, roughly 2 weeks after the fight -

For a Thursday afternoon, the Hogwarts library was more than a little crowded, primarily with fifth, sixth and seventh year students. The sun was just beginning to set in the blue skies outside the windows, and its light filtered in, dancing over the dust that lazily floated around the room. For the most part, the library was a silent place, the primary sound being those of books in use, with the whispered conversations of students mixed in when needed. And it was for that reason that three sixth year Gryffindors sat at a table that was almost hidden away in shadows caused by the huge shelves of books, each one bent over a piece of parchment. More parchment and a dozen or so books were scattered over the table, ready to be grabbed when needed again. A small group of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff girls glanced over at the table occasionally, trying to keep from being noticed by anyone at the table of Gryffindors.Despite the fact that dinnertime was fast approaching, many of those in the library made no motion to leave. The professors had been in a foul mood that week after the outbreak of several more fights, and seen fit to assign a good deal more homework than they might under other circumstances. Even Professor Dumbledore, who for the first week of class had only assigned one assignment total, had set a two and a half foot essay for each class on the defensive uses of the Glacius and Incendio spells ((a)). That was considered to be as difficult as the three foot essay Snape assigned on the uses of Dragon and Unicorn blood in potions, which had everyone in the sixth year (the only year to be assigned the essay) clamoring around in the Restricted Section for the needed materials.

At the table where Harry, Ron and Hermione were seated, Hermione and Harry were sharing notes and books for the Potions essay while Ron skimmed his Charms book, trying to find more information on a locking charm that was 'immune' to the Alohomora spell. Seeing Hermione's notes from Charms class out on the table, Ron reached for them, a small smile on his face. But suddenly his hand was hit smartly with a wand just before his fingers touched the parchment with the needed notes. Pulling it back, he glanced at Hermione as she slid her wand back into her robes.

"What was that for?" His face was fixed into a puzzled expression, making it clear he was honestly surprised by her unwillingness to let him use her notes when he'd been doing it off and on for the past 5, going on 6 years.

"Ron, if you want notes, write your own from now on. How will you pass NEWTs next year if you don't do some of the research and note taking for yourself?" Hermione's tone was currently one Ron dubbed her 'McGonagall' voice, and it was one that almost always succeeded in making him feel something like an idiot. So, with no other choice, Ron turned to Harry for aid.

"Come on mate, help me here. You know I'm no good with notes!"

Frowning, Harry dipped his quill in ink again, tapped off the excess, then raised an eyebrow at Ron. "I don't recall ever seeing you so much as try to take notes Ron, so I'm no help."

When Harry's head dipped back down to concentrate on the Potions essay, Ron gave him an odd look. "You're taking her side?"

"Ron, I'm kinda in the middle of a difficult essay. So either go get another book on Charms, or deal with what you've got."

Almost gawking now, Ron questioned, "Who are you, and what did you do with my best friend, Harry Potter?"

Both Ron and Hermione were taken a bit aback when Harry raised his head again and narrowed his eyes, a scowl settling on his lips. "It may be a bit hard for you to understand, but I do plan on doing something other than Quidditch after I graduate, Ron. And in order to do that, I have to pass my NEWTs. I can't do that if I slack off. It was fine for a while, slacking off now and then..." He broke off at Hermione's snort of indignation, and shot a glance in her direction. "Something to add Hermione?"

She shook her head "no," so he continued, looking at Ron again. "But McGonagall swore she'd make sure I got into the Auror training program after Hogwarts, and crazy as it may seem, that means something, Ron. So rather than let her or Hermione do all the work for me now, and feeling bad about it later, I thought I might apply myself. Is that a problem?"

Ron slowly recovered, and shook his head. "No mate...I just...never mind." He waited one beat, then two. "Sorry."

With a half smile, Harry accepted the apology. "Don't worry about it too much, Ron."

Still wary, Ron only nodded, then caught sight of the length of Harry's potion's essay. "Uh…Harry?"

Glancing back up from the parchment, Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"You did say that the greasy git only wanted three feet right?"

Harry nodded. "The point?"

Ron gestured to Harry's essay that was nearly to the end of the 4 and a half foot scroll of parchment. "That looks a mite longer than three feet, mate."

Harry shrugged and tapped off excess ink from his quill before answering. "There's loads of information in this book," he briefly gestured to the book at his right, "and I've seen what unicorn blood looks like and can do first hand. So I figure for once the git can't fail me unless he wants to be extremely cruel. And if he does, then I guess Professor McGonagall gets to hear about it."

Hermione smiled at Harry, proud of his change in attitude towards homework. "If he fails you for an essay that you took so much time on, and got done ahead of time, then Professor McGonagall is going to raise the roof, I'm sure, Harry."

Harry laughed softly, eyes moving to look at Hermione. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall if she did." He winked at her, earning him another smile before he glanced back down at his essay and got back to work on it.Library, cont.-

Over at the table of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff 6th year girls, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, and Padma Patil were sitting together at one end of the table, sharing two books for the Potions assignment. They were the ones who kept sneaking glances over at the famous Gryffindor trio, all three wondering how the trio stayed friends after the now much-talked about fight between Ron and Harry two weeks ago. Over half of the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables had heard Ron and Harry's few heated comments towards each other, after all. Most of the rumors flying around these days had to do with Hermione's choice of Ron over Harry, and if she might have a small thing going with Harry on the side. Of course, anyone who knew Hermione a little better, like Ginny Weasley or Lavender Brown (despite her being a gossip queen herself) would discredit any rumors that said Hermione was cheating on Ron. Though even they couldn't deny that there was something going on between Hermione and Harry that hadn't been there before.

As Hannah took her turn to eye the trio, she caught Harry as he was getting onto Ron about his "what did you do with my best mate?" comment, and watched closely. She gave Susan a quick nudge, then nodded to the Gryffindors' table, drawing both Susan and Padma's attention to them. Quietly, Padma asked, "What set him off?"

"I'm not sure." Hannah responded, her voice a whisper as well. "Ron just said something to Harry, and all of a sudden Harry's glaring at him. But…Ron did have that 'I'm an idiot, use small words' look on his face that reminds me of Crabbe or Goyle when he said what he did. So, who knows?"

Both Susan and Padma managed to contain their laughter at the way Hannah described Ron's expression, but barely.

"He seems to be doing that more and more now that he's dating her, you know. Its like he wants to make her pay more attention to him…which he likely does," Susan said, her dark eyes finally returning to her potions assignment. "Damn, Snape," she muttered, changing the subject abruptly. "How on earth does he expect us to manage this assignment? I mean, not all of us are brains like Hermione, for Merlin's sake!"

Padma smirked, her own eyes still on the trio. "Looks like Harry's not having any trouble with the assignment. He's got over a foot extra already if I'm not mistaken."

Susan glanced over her shoulder at Harry, and stared for a second when she realized Padma was right. She looked back at Padma and Hannah. "Think I should go see if he's willing to help us when he gets done?"

Pavarti's voice cut off any chance her sister or Hannah had to make a comment. "I'd do it…if just to see Hermione's reaction to him being surrounded by a bunch of girls."

Padma smiled as her sister slid into the extra seat at their end of the table. "It would be a sight, wouldn't it? Make sure to put him right smack in the middle of us or something just about."

Susan shook her head at the slight deviousness of the twins, then glanced at Hannah. "What do you think?"

Hannah shrugged as she looked at her own not even half finished essay. "I don't know if he'd say yes, but oh well. We could certainly use the help…"

Making up her own mind on the matter, Susan stood and walked over to the Gryffindor table, smiling briefly at Ron and Hermione before tapping Harry on the shoulder. When he looked up, surprised, she smiled down at him before leaning over a bit. "I know you're in the middle of your essay and all Harry, but the girls and I," she paused and gestured towards where Hannah and the Patil twins were watching, "were wondering if you could help us out on the potions essay when you get done or something."

Harry seemed a little taken aback at being asked for help in an area other than Defense Against the Dark Arts, but shrugged lightly. "I guess." He glanced at Ron and Hermione as he slid his essay into the book he was using and picked up his quill and ink. "I'll be back in a bit, guys." He flashed a brief smile, then stood, following Susan back over to where the other girls waited, all smiles for him.

Back at the table with Ron and Hermione, Ron glanced to his girlfriend, smirking. "That's a first. Him getting asked for help on a potion's assignment instead of you."

Hermione's eyes were locked on the table where Harry now sat, taking in the way he was being fawned over by the other girls. And though she couldn't explain why, she felt a surge of jealousy and anger at the fact that Harry just sat there and smiled away as those girls treated him like that. It took a good few breaths to get herself calm again before she glanced at Ron. "Yeah…right. A first." Then to herself, she thought This year seems to be full of them.

Library Cont. - Hermione's POV-

The library is nearly empty by the time I start to check over my potion's essay, which is only half a foot extra in length for a change. For one reason or another, I just haven't been able to keep my attention on the essay. Ok, that's a lie. I know exactly where my attention has been, I just don't really want to admit it. I mean, would you want to admit that you've been staring at your best guy friend for the past hour or so, despite the fact that you've got a boyfriend already?…Didn't think so. Harry is still over at the other table, even now, with only Padma for company. Pavarti left only a little bit ago, but not before shocking Harry with a kiss on his cheek. OK…so it shocked me too, I'll admit it. But hell if I'd admit (out loud at least) that it also made me a little jealous. Damn it all. I thought that crush disappeared after 4th year.

No use denying it, though. I'm dating one friend, and have a crush on the other. To quote my ever eloquent boyfriend… "Bloody hell."

I'm shaken from my thoughts when I hear the sound of a chair scraping along the floor, and immediately look up to where Padma and Harry are seated. Sure enough, Harry is standing, books and paper in one arm, his free hand resting on the back of the chair he just vacated. Padma is smiling up at him, and much to my shock (damn those twins), she stands and kisses Harry's cheek too. He just shakes his head, laughing softly before turning and heading my way, a smile still on his face. I can't help but smile back, as its not him I'm angry with after all, and he drops his books onto the table before glancing at my essay.

"You're still working on that, Mione?" He's obviously surprised, and looks at me a bit worriedly. "Everything alright?"

I nod. "Yeah. Just taking my time, I guess."

He sits down in the chair next to mine, and slides my essay from my hands, his green eyes scanning over it. A hint of a smile curves his lips when he reaches the end, and he looks at me. "Time well spent, I'd say. Looks perfect to me."

Without pause, he starts putting his books and essay into his bag, glancing at me with a grin. "Now come on, dinner started 10 minutes ago, slow poke!"

With a wave of his wand, my things are perfectly packed in my bag, and he has it settled on his shoulder not a second later. He grabs my hand, and gives a tug, pulling me to within a foot of him, much to my surprise and pleasure.

I grin at him. And "Race you to the great hall…" is all the warning I give him before taking off like a shot, running through the open doors of the library and into the hall. I hear him laugh loudly, followed by a stern warning from Madam Pince. And then the sound of heavy footsteps echo after mine. Even with him carrying both of our book bags, it doesn't take him long to catch up, and he scoops me up just shy of the stairs, causing me to cry out and I instinctively throw my arms around his neck.

He laughs, and looks at me. "Caught ya."

I stare at him, realizing how true that statement really is before answering in a near whisper, "Yeah…yeah you did."

A/N: Sorry again about the wait. I wanted to end this somewhere else, but hey. No better ending place than w/ some H/Hr moments eh? And yes…the R/Hr breakup is soon! LOL. If you notice, I just don't like writing scenes of them alone. Ch. 3 will be up sometime in March…hopefully sooner than later if all goes right!

Spells:

a: Glacius and Incendio - Glacius is taken from the HP POA PS2 game, and is a spell that (as some might have guessed) freezes things. In the game, you use it to turn puddles of water into ice blocks that can be pushed around. LOL. Incendio is from the HP SS PC game, and its basically a fire spell that they have you using on plants to kill them or stun them…go figure. But hey, they're real HP-verse spells, so it works!

Songs: None…maybe next time.


	4. Chapter 3 Truth Hurts

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Faith

Chapter 3, "Truth Hurts"

By: RogueBHS

Author Notes: I hate The one link I posted last chapter was enough to mess up the entire thing. Argh. So an apology to my readers, as I did try to fix the mistake, and I'm not quite sure it worked. I want to point out that this is about where I left the story off the first time to revise it (deciding to do so before it got horribly unfixable). Nothing is remaining from the original version past this point. Goodie. Finally I get to write a completely fresh chapter! laugh Just ignore me…innocent look

To Portkey, thanks for reviews, yet again! Gotta love it. Also, draregerreip and Forever Yours (from Portkey) took the time to remind me that in the previous chapter, I had something that appears like a continuity problem - Harry puts on his glasses, when in the previous chapter I said he didn't need them. Whoops! LOL. Truth is he's got contacts to wear instead of glasses most of the time. But I figure first thing in the morning he's gonna grab the glasses. As far as I know, in 1996 vision correction surgery was still very much new, and I doubt wizards have a vision correction spell either. So…hopefully that clears that up some! Sorry about any mix-ups.

Now then…lets get down to the chapter shall we?

Notice: Yahoo's Metric Converter calculated all metric values. Any values that are wrong, I apologize ahead of time for. I will be posting the American equivalent in parenthesis at all times.

****

Also: If you see a lowercase letter in double parenthesis like this: ((a)), that means there is an Author note about that area of the chapter at the bottom. This is primarily for spells and such. Numbers in a double parenthesis are used to indicate songs when used in a chapter. Look at the end of the chapter for listings of such things.

Main Characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Sabine Kington (OC), Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin and others…like Voldemort for instance. ;)

Couples: Ron/Hermione, Ginny/Draco, Dumbledore/McGonagall (hinted mostly), Harry/Cho, Harry/Hermione, Lavender/Ron/Luna and others.

Full Plot Summary: Most would think that with the OWLs over and done with, and NEWTS not being taken until the next school year, that Harry Potter would have an easy 6th year. But when you add up the loss of his godfather, the weight of the prophecy, harder classes, girl trouble, and the ever-looming threat of Voldemort and his followers…not to mention a changing group of friends, Harry's 6th year may well be the hardest yet. Oh yes…did I mention being ladies man? (giggle)

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Chapter 3, "Truth Hurts"

Hogwart's Quidditch Pitch -

As the sun rose higher over the Quidditch pitch, two young men in nearly identical scarlet robes were seated on their brooms, watching two friends with beater's bats practice their aim, and discussing the new Quidditch season. The one on the left sat on a brand new Firebolt, a gift from the Gryffindor captain, Harry Potter to his entire team as a sort of "moral booster" after the loss of four great players who had either graduated, or up and left (in the case of the Weasley twins). That one was waving his hands to indicate some sort of move he had heard about, blue eyes sparkling with his pure enjoyment of the wizarding sport. The one on the right was listening closely, though his own green eyes were fastened on the two new beaters.

It went without saying that Dean and Seamus would require training to become even half as good as the Weasley twins had been together. But despite that fact, both of them worked extremely well with the team. That might have had something to do with the fact that they had shared a dorm with two of their teammates for the past five school terms, but whatever it was, Harry was grateful for it. Surprisingly, the task of replacing Alicia and Angelina, who had been the chasers since Harry started playing on the team in his first year, had been rather easy.

Ginny Weasley had been an almost automatic "in," due to her obvious experience playing as a chaser with her brothers who favored the other positions the sport offered. The second chaser, however, was a complete surprise, the sixth year girl, Lavender Brown. And it was a well-known fact that Lavender was something of a gossip-queen along with her friend Pavarti, but damn if the girl didn't know how to play Quidditch as well. When Harry had confronted her about it, she had laughed and admitted that she had only gotten into the sport over the past year. The fact that she learned so fast was a definite bonus, for despite her image, she was anything but dumb. And right now, Lavender was flying lazy laps around the pitch, talking with remaining chaser Katie Bell about the sport and position.

For a good ten minutes, Harry managed to keep his mind on what Ron was babbling about, and on watching Dean and Seamus, but that with a certain brunette in the stands, Harry's attention was fast wavering. At first, it was just quick glances at where Mione and Ginny sat in the stands, talking about Merlin knew what. But that wasn't to last. Before long, he was all but staring, his thoughts completely on how close he had come to kissing her more than once this year already. She was off limits, but something kept insisting that she was HIS, not Ron's. She always had been, hadn't she? After all, he was the one she talked to calmly. He was the one who listened to her, even when he didn't really want to. But somehow, he still wasn't the one who was able to call her his girlfriend. That honor fell to the one who raved and ranted at her. That prize was won by the one who didn't believe in her dreams. That priceless gift was stolen from right under his nose…by his own best friend.

Harry supposed that he should be mad at Ron for taking something he had wanted, even though he never acknowledged it. But truth was, how could he? Ron had decided in forth year that he wanted Hermione for his own. It had taken Harry an extra year and a half to realize that same thing. Granted, it was up to Hermione, really. She could have held out for some promise of undying love from Harry. But she obviously realized he couldn't give her that right now. How could he, a boy who had lived in a cupboard for the ten years of his life know what love really was? His memories of his parents were vague, and not much to go on. And Cho…that mess was certainly anything but love-related. Thank Merlin, really. But he was certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was a lot more than a friend to him…more than a best friend. And that was all he needed to know, really. For the time being, anyway.

Harry was jolted back to the sport of Quidditch when Ron snapped his fingers in front of Harry's face.

"Huh?" Harry's vision swam for a minute, and then refocused as he turned his eyes back to the friend he'd named his second in command of the team. "Oh…sorry, mate." He gave a hint of a smile. "What'd ya say?"

Ron rolled his eyes in mild annoyance then shoved a playbook at Harry. "The play's in there. Its one Charlie used to do when he was on the team. I'm gonna go see what Gin and Hermione are up to, OK?"

Harry nodded. "Sure. Tell Gin I want her back in the air in five. We need to practice as a full team for a bit before we hand the pitch over to Ravenclaw."

"Gotcha, Harry."

Sighing, Harry closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, praying to whomever might be listening that he could manage to get this…feeling he had for Hermione under control. He knew that Ron suspected that Harry's feelings for Hermione were no longer platonic, and that alone had put another strain on their friendship. But loosing a friend was the last thing he needed at this point. Though it did give him something to concentrate on other than the damn prophecy, which he had been doing his best to ignore for the bulk of the summer and school year. Sirius' death was hard enough, so why should he have to deal with that too? Granted the upside was that it meant Dumbledore was being a hell of a lot more open with him about what was going on.

But that meant going back to Occulmency training, this time with Dumbledore himself. Oddly enough, while Dumbledore's techniques were a good deal less aggravating, the old wizard refused to take it easy on his student. He expected nothing less than Harry's best effort every time, saying simply that he knew Harry could perform the magic, it was just a matter of making him believe it himself. And so Harry tried and tried, wearing himself out mentally to the point of exhaustion. But with a little help from Hermione, who was the only one aware that Harry had resumed the lessons, he still managed to keep up in his classes. Thank Merlin for that, really. As it meant time spent, generally, just the two of them.

Argh. And there he went again, thinking about her. How in the hell was a guy supposed to concentrate with her around? Granted telling her to "bugger off" didn't do much good, and never had. So that left flat out ignoring her, which he couldn't bring himself to do. Granted there was always the option of Padma when he needed homework help. She was in Ravenclaw for a reason, and was pretty fun to be around, as he had found out when he helped her and the other girls with their Potions essay. Yes, that would work. So…that just meant asking Padma if she'd mind helping him out occasionally. Easier said than done, come to think of it.

"Oy! You off in your own world again, Harry?"

Ron's voice broke through Harry's daze, and he blinked, only to find the team looking at him a little worried. "Yeah. Thinking about the game against Slytherin," he lied. "Sorry."

Ginny laughed. "With you back as seeker, Harry, they don't stand a chance." At Ron's snort of indignation, she rolled her eyes. "Granted my dork of a brother as keeper only helps things."

Ron started to respond to the praise when the word "dork" sunk in. "Hey! I am not a dork!"

Ginny smirked. "Oh? Prove it."

Ron frowned. "How?"

"Ok, ok. There'll be plenty of time for the brother/sister sparring session later, you two," Harry said with a smile. "Time to really practice…"

****

Hogwart's Library, next day -

The library was packed yet again, full of fifth and seventh years who were feeling the strain of their homework loads, with a scattering mix of other students from other years who simply wanted to catch up or (in a few cases) get ahead. And in her usual spot, Hermione sat, books piled around her, scribbling away on yet another assignment. Being as this was her one free period each Monday, she was taking advantage of it, finishing up the work that was due on Friday in her Arithmancy class. Suddenly, she set her quill down, and began rubbing at her wrist and flopping it around, trying to get rid of the cramp in it. And it was during this short break that she took a second to look around the library, seeing who was still in there, who had left, and who had come in. Speaking of people who had come in, Hermione realized with a jolt that she had somehow missed seeing Harry enter the library.

But then again, that could have something to do with the fact that instead of coming to her for help, as he usually did; he was seated next to Padma Patil, his dark head bent near hers as she explained something to him. Frowning now, Hermione watched a few seconds longer, wondering what on earth had kept Harry from coming to her for help. He had always sought her out first when he had a problem, whether it was with school stuff or something more personal. So even this minute change was actually rather monumental to her. It had been heaven, really, having someone to share her homework time with so far this year. Especially since Harry had grown to enjoy the studying, and quit complaining about it so much. So it had seemed a perfect match. He kept her company and kept her from working too hard, while she kept him more focused, and helped him learn the concepts he struggled with. But obviously, he had decided to change things up.

Not that it bothered her, of course. _Who do you think you're fooling, Granger? _She asked herself. _You still like him, and studying was a perfect ploy to spend extra time with him. Especially since Ron wouldn't think anything of it. _And thus far, he hadn't. As far as he was concerned, his girlfriend was just spending a lot of time in the library, like she always had. The fact that Harry was missing at the same time didn't register, or if it did, Ron obviously felt that nothing amiss would happen under the nose of the librarian, Madam Pince.

Curious as to what he was getting help on, Hermione let her gaze wonder to the books on the table. The bulk of the library books on the table seemed to be Transfiguration, with one or two Charms books thrown in. But Harry had begun to pick up his grade considerably in Charms, even without Hermione's help. So surely he wasn't getting help there. Transfiguration, however, had always seemed something a weak point for him. And Padma was good at Transfiguration; there was no denying that.

Sighing, Hermione picked up her quill again, trying to focus on the homework in front of her. But it just didn't hold the appeal it did even a moment ago, before she had spotted Harry. The fact that he had chosen to spend what had become "their time" with someone else hurt, even if she couldn't admit it out loud. Ginny had warned Hermione that Harry might go searching for other company, especially now that Ron seemed bound and determined to prove himself as a good boyfriend in order to keep Harry off of his back. And that was just what Harry had done. Naturally. Though Hermione greatly wished he had at least picked to spend time with Ginny instead of someone else. With Ginny, Hermione knew there would be no romance going on. But with a pretty girl like Padma? It was anyone's guess.

And despite knowing that she shouldn't care, Hermione couldn't help it. Harry was, as far as she was concerned, hers, and she had become quite protective of him. The fact that she was someone else's girlfriend was just a fact that could be discarded easily. Oh, she cared for Ron too, don't misunderstand, but she was fast realizing that perhaps her reasons for dating him just weren't what they should be. That was a fact that Ginny had pointed out to her, actually, during the break in the Quidditch practice the day before.

**Flashback, Quidditch Pitch, yesterday**--------------------

__

Ginny's brown eyes focused on the two boys up in the air, simply floating on their broomsticks and talking. Her brother, Ron, was obviously trying to explain something to Harry, but even from her seat a good ways below, she could tell Harry's attention was wavering. Smirking, Ginny glanced at Hermione, who was shielding her eyes from the sun, and definitely staring at Harry.

"He's gotten cuter, hasn't he?" Ginny questioned.

"That's putting it mildly…" Hermione responded before she could stop herself. Blushing lightly, she glanced at Ginny. "If you tell anyone I said that…"

Laughing, Ginny waved it off. "I can keep a secret, Hermione, don't fret over it." She sighed and leaned back a bit. "I have to admit though, I am curious about something, just between us girls and all."

"What?"

"Why my brother?"

Hermione sighed as well, and mimicked Ginny's relaxed pose, leaning against the row of seats behind them. "Why not?"

Ginny looked at Hermione skeptically. "I'd accept that answer if you were Pavarti or something, but not from you. You think things out. You don't just do things. Its not you."

Closing her eyes, Hermione raised an arm, blocking the sun again. "He asked, I guess. I mean…no one but Krum and your brother has shown even the slightest interest in me, really. Besides…I have to admit I've been curious what it would be like to date him…or Harry. So I figured if Ron could get up the courage to ask me, I might as well give it a try, you know? Besides, if I know your brother, he wouldn't have let up until either I said 'yes,' or another girl caught his eye."

"You could have almost any guy in the school, Hermione!" Ginny said, surprised that Hermione had never realized this. "Well…if not for the threat of Harry. Any guy who's looked at you with interest, Harry's pulled aside and told them that if they treat you with anything less that the respect you deserve, he'll hex them to Hades and back."

"What!" Hermione sat up, shocked at this news. "He's done what?"

Ginny laughed. "I'm surprised you haven't realized that something was up. I mean, come on…you really think Neville asked you to the Ball in forth year just because you were nice to him?"

Frowning, Hermione shaded her eyes from the sun again, letting her eyes fix on where Harry was. Sure, she had thought it odd, not being asked out, but she had laid the blame at the fact that she wasn't, in her own opinion, the best looking girl. But to find that her best friend had been threatening any guy who took an interest in her, just to ensure they'd treat her well (even though it did have a different effect)? That just didn't compute. Ok, sure Harry was more than a mite protective of his friends, but given everything that happened to him, it was at least a little understandable. But still…

"You're sure he's threatened them?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, then glanced at Hermione. "Why do you think he's suddenly so violent towards my brother?"

Shocked yet again, Hermione found herself remembering different instances where Harry and Ron had gotten into fights that year, no matter how one sided or short lived they might have been. And Ginny was right. Most of the time they occurred, it was because Ron had done something to upset her. Odd how she hadn't noticed that before, really.

"He likes you."

"What?"

"Harry. He likes you."

"Of course he does, we're friends, aren't we?"

Ginny sighed. "No…he likes you…you know…fancies you."

"Oh please. Why on earth would he fancy me?"

"Ron does, doesn't he?"

"Well…yeah…"

"So why is it so hard to consider that maybe Harry does?"

"I don't know…it's just…"

Ginny laughed softly. "Ok, I get the point. I'm throwing too much at you at one time, right? Too much to think through, even for you."

Sighing, Hermione nodded. "I just don't get it, that's all. I mean, Harry, he's…"

"Dreamy? Sexy? Wonderful?" Ginny giggled. "The list can go on, you know."

Laughing now, Hermione shook her head. "No need."

"Ahh…so you have a crush on him don't you?"

Hermione glanced at Ginny. "And if I did?"

"I'd have to order you to break up with my dumb brother, who I don't think deserves you, truth be told, and jump Harry next time you catch him alone."

Both girls shared a look at the idea of Hermione actually jumping Harry, and his likely expression if she did, and immediately burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

The laughter died immediately, and two pairs of brown eyes rose, settling upon the mildly amused visage of Ron.

"None of your business, Ronnikins."

Hermione glanced at Ginny. "Be nice." Then, grinning, she looked at her boyfriend. "Though it is none of your business, as she said…"

Rolling his eyes, Ron glanced at his sister. "Harry wants you back out there in a few. He wants us to practice as a team."

"Yeah, yeah." Ginny waved him off. "I'll be out there. Now shoo…I want to get one last piece of information out of your girlfriend."

When Ron was in fact, gone, Ginny looked seriously at Hermione. "I wasn't kidding, you know…"

"I know…"

"I mean about the breaking up with Ron. He really doesn't deserve you. Trust me on that."

And before Hermione could answer, Ginny had already flown off to join Harry and Ron.

****

End Flashback ------------------------------

Library, cont. -

Sighing, Hermione closed up her books, and started sliding them into her book bag, along with the parchment and quill she had been using. She had come in here hoping for some time alone with Harry, but obviously, that just wasn't to be. So, for now, she'd take herself elsewhere. No point in torturing herself by watching Padma fawn over him, after all. And maybe she could catch up with him later, anyway. Surely he wouldn't spend all day in the library…or would he?

****

Gryffindor Common Room, 9:30 PM that night -

Checking her watch for easily the millionth time since dinner, Hermione let out a growl of frustration. She had been more than wrong in assuming that she'd be able to catch Harry after she left the library, as he hadn't been seen by anyone in hours. And while it was odd, he had skipped dinner as well, leaving her to wonder and worry about him. _Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, right? _Hermione asked herself. After a quick glance to make sure that no one was paying her any mind, she slipped out of her chair by the fire and up the stairs to the boys' dorms, closing the door silently behind her. It only took her a moment to find the invisibility cloak and Marauders' Map in Harry's trunk, and she was almost surprised that he was out this late without them. But then again, that aided her cause.

"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," she whispered and tapped her wand to the map, watching with her usual fascination, as the lines of ink appeared on the parchment. Her cinnamon eyes skimmed over it, looking for one name and one name only. And there he was, in the Room of Requirement, with, of all people, Albus Dumbledore for company. Nodding to herself, Hermione wrapped the cloak tight around her, and then slipped back out of the dorms, and out of the portrait hole, with no one the wiser.

The trip from Gryffindor Tower to the Room of Requirement took only ten minutes or so, if one knew the right passages to take, and thankfully, the map allowed her to navigate them in such a way as to successfully avoid Filch as he went racing by, hollering at Peeves the Poltergeist. Finally in front of the area where the door appeared, Hermione paced in front of it three times, focusing on the fact that she needed to find Harry. When the handle appeared, she grasped it immediately, then pulled, making just enough noise to alert Dumbledore and Harry so they could stop their unlikely private conversation before she overheard it. Then again, knowing Dumbledore, he likely had known she was headed that way before she even got two feet out of Gryffindor tower.

As she pulled the door open, both men turned their heads, one smiling, and the other smirking. But until the door was shut behind her, no one spoke a word. Like she had thought, Dumbledore must have known that she was coming, because he rose from the overstuffed red chair he had been sitting in, and turned his twinkling blue eyes back to Harry.

"Well, as Miss Granger is here, I'll leave you in her capable hands, Harry. Just make sure you're back to Gryffindor tower by midnight at least, hmm?" He said with a smile, glancing briefly at Hermione, who couldn't help the slight blush in her cheeks at the slight compliment.

Harry's green eyes never left Hermione as he nodded. "That's fine, sir." He noticed the invisibility cloak in her hands and his smirk widened into a grin. "I don't think we'll have much trouble getting back."

"Goodnight then."

Hermione nodded at the headmaster. "Goodnight, sir."

"G'night."

After a brief nod of acknowledgement, Dumbledore turned, exiting the room with barely a sound made. But Harry and Hermione's attention was now on each other. They stayed where they were, Harry lounging in a chair identical to the one that Dumbledore had vacated, Hermione standing near the door for a good few moments, simply watching the other. Only a few moments past before Hermione moved forward, towards the empty chair, dropping the cloak and map on the floor beside it, before dropping unceremoniously into the chair. She shifted, draping herself over the chair, trying to get comfortable. But her comfort was definitely putting Harry in an uncomfortable position. For every time she moved, her school shirt did too, riding up over her stomach, baring a few inches of skin to his gaze. Yet Hermione seemed unaware of this fact, or the fact that it made Harry so uncomfortable, so it was a surprise to her when he suddenly vacated his own chair, turning his back on her, and staring into the fireplace in the room.

Though curious about what had caused him to move, Hermione took a brief look around the room, taking in the sparseness of furnishings. Other the two chairs and fireplace, there was no other real furniture, or source of lighting even, for the torches on the walls of the room were barely burning. Harry's book bag sat beside his chair, hinting at just how long it had been since he had been back to Gryffindor tower. And in it, Hermione could see a few of the library books he and Padma had been using earlier that day.

Reminded of why she had wanted to speak with him in the first place, Hermione turned her gaze back to him, only to receive another small surprise. Now, she had noticed the fact that Harry was no longer the skinny boy she had met on the Hogwart's Express five or six years ago, but that fact was certainly driven home now. For Harry had shed his Hogwart's robes, leaving them draped over his chair, presumably before moving closer to the fire. And despite the fact that it was a school day, Harry wasn't wearing the common shirt from the uniform. Instead, he wore a black muscle shirt that, to Hermione's mind, must have been a little small, as it fit him snuggly. Not that she was complaining, mind you. After all, it gave her an excuse to take in the more defined muscles of his back and arms while he obviously did his best to ignore her.

But something else caught her eye during her perusal of his form. There, on his right bicep was a mark of some kind, apparently circling the entire arm from what she could tell. Curious, she lifted herself back out of the chair, moving closer to him, eyes still on the marking. She got within a foot of him when he turned suddenly, causing her to step back. His green eyes showed his confusion as he looked down at her, only to realize what it was she was staring at so blatantly.

He smiled, then cupped her chin in his hand, eyes now showing his amusement. "Like my tattoo, hmm?"

"Tattoo?" Her voice sounded distant, even to her. The idea of such a thing on her Harry was just…preposterous. But obviously not so much that he didn't go and get one anyway. Knowing now, though she should have before, what it was she was looking at, Hermione pulled her chin from his hand, and let her eyes trace over the tattoo.

It was nothing overly outrageous, really. Just a simple Celtic knot that wrapped around his arm in three strands, each of a different color. One strand was a brilliant red, a Gryffindor red really. While the second was nearly the same green as his eyes, and the third was the same golden color as was in the Phoenix pendant that she realized he was wearing, no longer hidden by his robes. A thrill went through her as she realized he hadn't been kidding when he said he had liked her birthday gift for him, and that he might possibly wear it every day. Smiling, she lifted her eyes back to his, her fingers lightly brushing over the pendant.

"So you weren't kidding when you said you liked it?"

He seemed surprised she'd even ask such a thing. "Of course I like it! You gave it to me, didn't you?"

"Yes…but what does that have to do with anything?"

His smile softened as he looked down at her, eyes full of something she couldn't quite define. "Well…you know me better than anyone, don't you?"

Such a simple statement, but such a true one at that, she realized. And that, perhaps, was all she needed. That simple trust…that faith in her judgment that Harry had even when others might not, even herself. He didn't always agree fully, but he'd at least admit the possibility that she was right. Half testing him, half herself, she moved half a step closer. "Well…if you say I do…" Her tone was soft, and her eyes never left his.

"I do."

"Harry…"

"Shh…"

Fireworks…crashing waves…flying…comparing them to a kiss is rather cliché, but Hermione fast realized that in all honesty, it can be true. She wasn't sure why Harry kissed her, but Merlin if she was going to stop him…as if she could, of course. And, as always, she had been right…When Ron had (half teasingly) said the year before that perhaps Harry was a bad kisser, she had been completely right in saying he wasn't. If anything, he was fabulous…obviously a natural, just as he was at flying. Then he shifted his lips just a bit, and all thought fled her mind.

And it wasn't until his lips finally left hers that any semblance of thought returned. Slowly, she opened her eyes, looking up at him, amazed. His arms were around her waist too, she realized with a start, but the position was so natural feeling, she gave in to impulse, pressing her lips against his again in the softest of kisses.

"Mione…"

His tone was little more than a whisper, but as close as she was standing, it didn't really matter. "Hmm?"

"Thank you…"

It took a second for the words to register, as her mind was still in a sort of fog from the kisses. But when it did, she looked up, eyes alert again, and questioning. "For what?"

His lips curved into a smile. "Just being you, really."

Sighing softly, she slid her arms around his neck. "Mmm. Well…you're welcome…I guess." She smiled. "You know…if all I have to do is be me, you're not a hard person to please then, are you?"

He laughed, and then pressed a kiss to her forehead. "And here I thought you knew me better than anyone."

"Oh, I do. Just like you know me better than anyone."

"I do? Hmm…there's a newsflash that I must have missed before."

Laughing, she pulled back, gently punching his arm. "Is that so, Potter?"

"Hey! Watch it. If what you say is true, and I do know you better than anyone else, that would mean that I would know exactly where you're ticklish…"

"You wouldn't…"

"You daring me, Granger?"

"No…no…" But it was too late, Harry's hands had snaked out quickly, tickling at her sides, causing to her laugh. "Harry…Harry…stop it!"

Amazingly, he did what she asked. But, he also moved away, something she hadn't intended. So she reached out, only to be surprised and hurt when he stepped back again, a look on his face that she recognized immediately…guilt.

"Harry…don't do this." She reached out again, this time grabbing his hand in a firm grip.

"Mione, I…"

"If you say you're sorry, I'm going to have to forget any ideas I had about being ladylike and just hit you."

"No. I wasn't going to." He sighed, and then met her gaze. "Because I'm not sorry. I've wanted to do that almost all of this year…but you're Ron's girlfriend. Not mine. And as much as I hate it, I won't jeopardize my friendship with both of you just because he realized that he liked you before I realized how much I do."

"So Ginny wasn't kidding?"

"What?" His eyes flashed. "Ginny talked to you about me?"

Sighing, she pulled him towards the chairs, only to come up short. Sometime during their moment, the room had reacted to the change in their wants, and changed the two chairs into a couch that looked as plush as the chairs. Shrugging it off, she dropped onto the couch, then pulled him down next to her. The effect was him half sitting, half falling with no grace whatsoever onto the couch, causing a plopping sound that made her giggle.

Noticing that he was looking at her with a mildly amused expression, she flashed him a brief smile, then returned to the topic at hand. "Yes, Ginny talked to me about you. She had been asking me about why I was dating Ron, then changed the topic to you, because she…well…" A light blush infused her cheeks with color, and she ducked her head before continuing. "She realized that I was sort of checking you out."

Surprised, he looked at her. "When was this?"

"Yesterday at Quidditch practice."

"So that's what you two were going on and on about!"

"You were watching us?"

"Off and on…even I can't pay attention to Ron the entire time he's talking. Doesn't matter what the subject is."

"Even Quidditch?"

"Even Quidditch."

"Well there's a surprise." Hermione grinned. "I thought all you two cared about was that game."

"In the past, perhaps," he admitted. "But things change."

She nodded, then slid closer to him. "Yeah, they do."

"Mione…I meant what I said. I won't jeopardize our friendship. Until you're not dating Ron…if you do decide to break up with him or whatever, I can't…"

"You can't what?"

"Do some of the things I'd love to do with and to you. Come on, Hermione. You're a smart girl. I'm a teenage guy, don't make me spell it out…I beg of you."

Sighing again, she moved back, nodding. "Alright. I understand. Its just…you…well…I…"

"I know." He gave her a wry grin. "One taste just isn't enough. But for now, it'll have to be."

Nodding again, she glanced askance at him. "For now."

"We should probably be…Mmph…"

Harry's sentence was cut short by a sudden kiss from Hermione. And despite his earlier comments, there was no way he could resist what he was sure would be his last taste of her for a good while. So rather than push her away, he pulled her closer, causing her body to be stretched out over his own, while his hands moved to fist in her already messed-up hair. Just like his first taste of her, he could feel the effects of this one running through his system from the second their lips touched. And just as before, he wondered how on earth Ron could possibly ignore what he had.

But this time, it was Hermione who shifted, and sent his thoughts scattering. What had been intended as a final kiss turned into more, and more. Nearly half an hour later, he and Hermione were curled up together, still on the couch, finally giving their mouths a break. A soft yawn escaped from Hermione, and almost immediately, the room shifted again. This time, turning the couch into a bed very similar to those in the Gryffindor dorms. Yet there was no marked response from the two laying on it. Harry only pulled Hermione closer, then drifted off into sleep, closely followed into that land of dreams by the girl in his arms.

**__**

Next day, Great Hall -

The entire great hall was abuzz with conversations, and the clattering of silverware against plates was a constant back noise to it all. But seated halfway down the Gryffindor table, two students were actually rather quiet, their heads bent over their plates as they paid their food close attention. With Ron seated on the other side of Hermione, Harry's mood was darker than it had been just that morning when he awoke, still in the room of requirement with Hermione. It had been amazingly comfortable, waking up with her there; as if it was the way things were supposed to be. For now, though, Harry had to deal with having Ron leaning towards her constantly, trying to get her to kiss him or show some other sign of affection that she didn't seem too willing to give. Which pleased Harry to no end, of course.

The morning continued to stretch out its time slowly, allowing each minute to feel like ten, much to the annoyance of all. So by the time that the bell rang for lunch, Harry felt tense enough that he was sure that should he spend his lunch hour watching Ron flirt with Hermione, he'd end up in another fist fight with him. As such, he left the great hall after throwing together a sandwich of some meat on one of the rolls, trying hard to ignore the hurt look on Hermione's face.

His feet traced the path to the Room of requirement of their own accord, while his mind focused on the contents of a notebook hidden in his school bag at the moment. In fact, he was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize that Ginny Weasley had followed him out of the great hall, wondering where on earth he was headed in such a hurry. She followed him as he walked through the door to the room of requirement, then sat down in one of the chairs there in the room, watching as he automatically took out a muggle spiral notebook and set it on the desk that appeared. He opened it to a page, then flipped forward a few more, smiling slightly as he took a pencil from his bag and hurriedly scratched down the new lyrics that had popped into his head that morning as he watched Hermione.

When he finished, Ginny watched, surprised as he reached back into the bag, then pulled out a miniature acoustic guitar, returning it to its normal size with a tap of his wand. Slowly, he strummed a few chords, as if getting a feel for it, then started to play, adding his voice to the melody coming from the guitar.

__

"You sit there in my shadows  
And you call it your relief  
Don't be the one with bad eyes for  
The things that I could see  
(Don't give me that)

The darkness has no armor  
Need protection from the air  
High hopes through time passing  
When I see I want you there

I can't believe  
You're the one for me  
If it was this easy to find you  
I should be ready for a fall  
I should be ready for a fall

Now my wonders rally  
Around the person I once was  
Like a bird that I've been helping  
Hope you're healed and strong  
You never know when you might have to fly

Where will you go after me  
Where will you go after I set you free  
And I don't know you from a page in my book  
Though I should  
Though I should

I can't believe  
You're the one for me  
If it was this easy to find you  
I should be ready for a fall  
I should be ready for a fall

Where will you go after me  
Where will you go after I set you free  
And I don't know you from a page in my book  
Though I should

I can't believe  
You're the one for me  
If it was this easy to find you  
I should be ready for a fall  
I should be ready for a fall"

His voice trailed off slowly, his eyes closed as the last refrains of the song faded from his mind and the guitar strings. But when he opened them, those green eyes focused almost immediately on Ginny, and he looked like he was going to snap at her for intruding before he sighed, setting the guitar aside. "I see you found me out, then."

His tone was level, betraying nothing, so she wasn't quite sure how to respond. "I noticed you leaving the great hall," she answered truthfully. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok. I know that you hate watching them together. And he's been so…affectionate…or whatever, today, that I just wanted to check." She braved smiling at him. "I mean, what kind of sister would I be if I didn't, right?"

Harry smiled slightly, and rose, walking to her. "I guess you're right. And since its you, I don't mind so much. I've been wanting to share my music with someone, anyway."

Ginny stood, and closed the distance between them, before hugging him around the neck briefly. "Well, you certainly do a good job, that's for sure."

Harry blushed lightly. "Na. I could be loads better."

Ginny did a double take. "Harry, come on. Your voice…I mean…wow. I know loads of girls like hearing you talk and all, because of your speaking voice, but your singing voice is just beyond…anything really." She poked him teasingly in the arm. "And of course your guitar playing is good."

He sighed, shaking his head. "No its not. Its just the little bit I remember from when Dudley took lessons years ago. His teacher caught me looking at the guitar once and gave me a few lessons myself, but the Dursleys found out. So that was the end of that. I still have the chord sheets and stuff she gave me though, so I manage alright."

"Oh shush. Harry, I just heard music worthy of being played in a concert or something. I mean, you could join up with the Weird Sisters or something! And I'm not kidding, so quit being so damn modest."

"Really?" He seemed so honestly surprised, that Ginny had to wonder if he even listened to himself when he sang or played.

"Yes, really." She thought of something, then glanced at his notebook, still sitting open on the desk. "Did you write that song?"

His blush grew, and he nodded sheepishly. "I know its kind of a weird song, but…"

"Are you kidding?" Ginny started pacing. "Merlin, Harry." She turned her brown eyes to him. "I think you just found something you can do after Hogwarts if you don't want to be an Auror, Harry." She looked at him seriously. "Would you play another?"

Frowning, he nodded slowly. "Alright." He winked at her then, and flashed a brief smile. "Just for you."

His hands picked up the guitar again, then he flipped to another page in the notebook, and studied it for a second before playing.

__

"You give your hand to me  
And then you say hello  
And I can hardly speak  
My heart is beating so  
And anyone can tell  
You think you know me well  
But you don't know me

No you don't know the one  
Who dreams of you at night  
And longs to kiss your lips  
Longs to hold you tight  
Oh I am just a friend  
That's all I've ever been  
Cause you don't know me

I never knew the art of making love  
No my heart aches with love for you  
Afraid and shy I let my chance go by  
The chance that you might love me too

You give your hand to me  
And then you say goodbye  
I watch you walk away beside the lucky guy  
Oh you will never know  
The one who loves you so  
Well you don't know me

You give your hand to me  
And then you say goodbye  
I watch you walk away beside the lucky guy  
Oh you will never know  
The one who loves you so  
Cause you don't know me  
Oh no you don't know me  
Ohh...you don't know me"

Smiling, Ginny clapped her hands together in applause, bringing a blush to Harry's cheeks again. When she stopped clapping, she raised an eyebrow at him. "Let me guess who that one's about…"

"You know perfectly well who its about, Gin. So don't bother pretending otherwise." He smirked, then shrank the guitar back down to miniature size, sliding it into a pocket on his bag.

Curious, Ginny laid a hand on the notebook, then glanced at him. "Do you mind if I look at this?"

Going with instinct, he shook his head, leaning back in the chair as he watched her. She flipped back to the first page, and skimmed over it, then page after page, never lingering for long on any of them, just long enough to get the gist of what the song's message was. They ranged in types from rock to pop to border-line country, and any tempo possible, obviously going by his mood at the time and the topic of discussion. But each had obviously been written with care, matching the music to the lyrics perfectly. When she was young, she had enjoyed reading sheet music, and playing it on an old muggle piano her dad had found, and thus she recognized the general flow of Harry's songs. She flipped to one he had written during a depression, and the way it was worded had her eyes lifting to his in mute understanding. Setting the notebook aside, she kneeled down in front of the boy she called her brother, pulling him into a hug so much those her mother gave.

No one saw either of them for the rest of the lunch hour, as they sat in the Room of requirement, talking and going over his music. And no one seemed to notice that time had sped back up, allowing the rest of the day to speed by.

On his way back from his first Arithmancy class that afternoon, Harry heard a familiar voice coming from the hall to his right. Curious as to what business Ron would have up in the Arithmancy wing of the school, Harry peeked down the hall, only to bite back the urge to growl in anger. There, not 15 feet from him, was Hermione's boyfriend, more than obviously flirting with a Hufflepuff girl whom Harry didn't know, but he was rather sure that she was a fifth year or so. As Ron leaned down to whisper in the girls ear, making her giggle, Harry jumped as he felt a hand rest on his back. Turning around quickly, Harry was surprised to find Hermione there.

"Umm…Mione…Hi." He gulped, then moved to block Ron from her sight, only to be stopped by her hand.

"I already know, Harry."

There was something about the defeated tone she used that had him simultaneously wanting to hold her and punch Ron at the same time, so since the latter wasn't a good idea, he instead pulled Hermione closer to his side. "You ok?" he questioned softly, sliding his arm around her protectively.

She nodded, then glanced up, noticing the dangerous glint to his emerald eyes. "I'm fine, Harry." She glanced in Ron's direction, frowning. "He's not worth any tears I might shed, anyway."

Sighing, Harry started to guide her in the direction of Gryffindor tower, vowing to himself that Ron would definitely be receiving some punishment later.

Harry glanced up from his homework later that night, only to find Hermione coming down the stairs from the girls' dorms, and heading with a purpose towards her boyfriend. Curious, he watched as she tried to get Ron's attention, finally having to resort to saying his name loudly before he even looked in her direction.

Ron…" Hermione's tone became stern, and her eyes flashed briefly. "We need to talk."

Ron seemed confused, then slowly smiled, reaching for her hand, trying to pull her down into his lap, only to be surprised when she jerked her hand away.

"Ron, I'm not kidding. We need to talk, and I really don't think you want to have this conversation in the middle of the common room."

Sighing, Ron stood. "Alright, alright." Realizing the mood she was in, he didn't bother reaching towards her again. Instead, he followed her silently out of the common room, unsure of what she could possibly want to talk about that required so much privacy.

The sound of the portrait hole bursting open not fifteen minutes after Hermione and Ron had left had every head in the room turning in their direction as both of them stomped in. Hermione was glaring at Ron in such a way that some marveled that he didn't have two holes burned straight through him yet. But Ron wasn't exactly all smiles himself. He kept casting angry glances at Hermione, only to look away again when he saw her glare. Behind them, as the portrait hole closed, Harry spotted Professor Snape watching Ron and Hermione with the closest thing to a grin on his face that Harry had ever seen. And while the common room watched, still curious, Hermione rounded on Ron the second she heard the portrait close completely.

"I can't believe you!" Her cinnamon and honey eyes flashed in anger. "You tell me to be quiet, because you think you hear something, then you keep on talking yourself! What kind of idiot are you!"

Ron's eyes cut to her, and his hands fisted at his sides. "Well you're the one who just had to have a bloody effing talk at ten at night, when we're supposed to stay in the tower!"

"Ohhhh…" Hermione nearly ground her teeth, trying to keep from flat out cursing him to Hades and back again. "Don't you go blaming this on me, Ronald Weasley. Its thanks to **you** and no one else that we **both** have detention with Snape for a full bloody week!"

Ron seemed slightly impressed with Hermione's mild cussing, but that didn't stop him from yelling right back. "Me? You're the one who said we had to talk…**IN PRIVATE**! What the hell could be so important that **you'd** risk getting in trouble? I mean, other than Harry of course." The last bit was said with more than a trace of the old venom from forth year, and had Harry wondering if Ron's jealously would ever completely die out.

Hermione turned away from him and started pacing for a minute, then suddenly, she whirled towards him, advancing slowly, her wand pointed at him. "You stupid, conceited, jealous little prat!" She stopped only a foot or so away, her wand now pointed directly at his throat. "I actually tried being considerate about this whole mess that we call a relationship…but I'm sick and fucking tired of it. All you want is to fool around with me, despite the fact that, surprise, surprise, there ARE other things to do when dating. Not that you care, of course. Single-minded prick that you are, and all."

Hermione's eyes were blazing in their intensity as she continued, ignoring the way the common room was deathly quiet and hanging on her every word. "Which, of course, is only one of the reasons I decided to break up with you. Not that I started dating you for a good reason to begin with, I'll admit. I mean, after all…you're not the only guy who's wanted to ask me out, now are you?" Hermione's eyebrows raised in question as she continued to look at Ron. "But then again, with you and Harry around, who'd actually get up the nerve if not one of you two, right? I'll admit, it would likely be intimidating to a guy to have to face you two…Harry in particular with his reputation for a volatile temper." She smirked, then shook her head. "But anyway, I'm getting off track here. To put it simply Ron, I am no longer your trophy of a girlfriend. Nor would I call myself your friend. You've lost a hell of a lot more than just my trust in the past few days, and its not something you can regain easily."

She slowly lowered her wand, the anger in her eyes fading as she quirked a single brown eyebrow at him this time. "Any questions?"

Ron smirked and folded his arms over his chest. "Just one."

She motioned for him to go ahead, wand still in hand.

"How long have you been fucking Harry?"

"You leave him…."

WHAM

Hermione looked from Harry to Ron and back again before frowning at Harry. "Was that really necessary?"

Harry smirked as he looked down at Ron, who was holding his hands over what was likely a broken nose as he lay on the floor. "He insinuated you were a eh…well…" Harry shrugged, then looked at Hermione. "You know…" When Hermione only raised her eyebrow again, he sighed. "He insinuated you cheated on him, that's reason enough to me," Harry said, his eyes daring her to question that simple logic. He conveniently left out the fact that she had cheated on Ron, with himself, deciding that Ron had likely cheated on Hermione more than once. So it all evened out somehow.

Hermione shook her head, then looked down at Ron with more than a hint of disdain. "You might want to go see Madam Pomfrey. I think that's broken."

****

A/N: I think I'll end that there. Any complaints? Sorry it took so long, btw. All fault lies with Maxis for creating the fabulous game "The Sims 2" and its Expansion Pack, "Sims 2 University." That game's too bloody addicting…

Songs:

(1) - "Ready For a Fall" - P.J. Olsson

(2) - "You Don't Know Me" - Jann Arden


	5. Chapter 4 Without Question

****

Faith

Chapter 4, "Without Question"

By: RogueBHS

Author Notes: blushing I swear, Portkey readers are spoiling me! 8 reviews in the first 24 hrs after I posted the last chapter. WOW! There's only one other story I've gotten that kind of response on, and it was my X-men Evolution fiction on I think I have one reviewer for this on and she's a fellow author there! LOL. But oh well. Thank you, yet again, to all my readers on Portkey. You guys are the best! smile

Oh…and to anyone who hates the waiting on my chapters (since I'm updating like once a month) - Blame "The Sims 2" game! Too damn addictive, and my favorite way to unwind. innocent look

Notice: Yahoo's Metric Converter calculated all metric values. Any values that are wrong, I apologize ahead of time for. I will be posting the American equivalent in parenthesis at all times.

****

Also: If you see a lowercase letter in double parenthesis like this: ((a)), that means there is an Author note about that area of the chapter at the bottom. This is primarily for spells and such. Numbers in a double parenthesis are used to indicate songs when used in a chapter. Look at the end of the chapter for listings of such things.

Main Characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Sabine Kington (OC), Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin and others…like Voldemort for instance. ;)

Couples: Ron/Hermione, Ginny/Draco, Dumbledore/McGonagall (hinted mostly), Harry/Hermione, Lavender/Ron/Luna and others.

Full Plot Summary: Most would think that with the OWLs over and done with, and NEWTS not being taken until the next school year, that Harry Potter would have an easy 6th year. But when you add up the loss of his godfather, the weight of the prophecy, harder classes, girl trouble, and the ever-looming threat of Voldemort and his followers…not to mention a changing group of friends, Harry's 6th year may well be the hardest yet. Oh yes…did I mention being ladies man? (giggle)

Chapter 4, "Without Question"

Word of Ron and Hermione's break up spread like wildfire through the school, and by the time breakfast was finished the next morning, everyone knew. And the reactions were almost all the same; relief. For the male students, it meant that Hermione was free again…though it seemed so far that day that Harry was bound and determined to keep other guys away from her. Any time he caught someone staring at her, he'd glare at them till they relented and turned their attention elsewhere. Some speculated that if it weren't for the fact that he'd get a hell of a tongue lashing (if not more), Harry would have even followed her into the girls' bathroom in order to keep her away from hurtful gossip. Which was, in all reality, pretty much true. But to girls, the breakup meant that Ron was free again. And he was certainly making the rounds. By the time that lunch rolled around, he had already flirted with at least half a dozen girls, and made a date to meet another girl in Hogsmeade when the first weekend was scheduled.

Even the teachers were talking about the breakup, all of them hoping that perhaps now things between the three would settle down again. The fights and near-fights between Harry and Ron had set everyone on edge, wondering when one would push the other past the point where they could keep themselves from seriously injuring them. But now, with Hermione no longer between them, most hoped that Harry and Ron could set their issues aside and let their friendship get back to what it had been.

**__**

Dinner, that night, Hermione's POV -

From my spot closer to the door, I can hear whispers all around me, and feel the weight of the stares I'm attracting. And it's been like this since breakfast, much to my annoyance. Granted, people are being careful about letting me hear what they're saying. That, however, has a good deal to do with the guy sitting next to me. Harry's eyes are scanning the room carefully, and I know he's staring down a few of the other students, because the feeling of being stared at lessens just a bit. Then his eyes slide to me, worry evident in his features. So, for his sake as much as anything else, I smile. Ok, so it didn't fool him, but I didn't really think that it would. He knows me well enough to realize I'm not enjoying this attention I'm getting. And vise versa, really. Because with the way he's been hanging around me, I know people are wondering if Harry really is why I broke up with Ron. Though I'll admit that there is some truth to that idea. A girl can't kiss her best friend who she's had a crush on for years and just go walking back to her boyfriend. Not when the best friend is someone like Harry, I mean.

Next to me, I hear him mumbling something under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear, but soft enough for others to ignore. Curious, I turn my head just enough to better hear what he's saying, and get a small shock.

__

"The world never ends  
It's only the beginning  
And we can't pretend  
To discover it's meaning  
We talked for hours at a time  
Then I came to my senses  
You're more than a friend  
You're my perfect lover

I'll never be all you want me to  
But that's all right …." **(1)**

He wasn't just saying that though, even if the words were a big enough shock to me. Harry…my Harry was singing. I never realized he could sing. Granted, with as soft as he's doing so now, its hard for me to appreciate the voice. Pretending to be interested in my plate again, I continue listening, wondering where he heard this song.

__

"I'm gonna make you love me  
I'm gonna dry your tears  
And we're gonna stay together  
For a million years

It's the least I can do  
Just to make you my baby  
No words could describe  
Oh, pinch me I'm dreaming …" **(1)**

Then, as if he realized what he was doing, he shook his head and stopped suddenly, much to my disappointment. His eyes lift again, and he glances around, checking to see if anyone was listening to him. And when those green eyes fall on me again, I can practically feel him relax. So he assumes I didn't hear…hmm. I can't imagine why he'd want to keep it a secret, really, especially from me, but if that's what he wants, that's what he'll get. He glances around yet again, then this times, leans towards me after he finishes his scan of the room.

"Lets get out of here." He smirks at me as he whispers that near my ear. "Otherwise Ron is going to be regretting the way he's sitting over there looking so damn superior."

I glance at him, abandoning the pretense of eating as I nod. "I was hoping you'd suggest that sooner rather than later."

His smirk widens into a soft smile as he stands up, extending his hand to me in an offer to help me up. I slide my hand into his, grabbing my book from the seat next to me as I stand as well. The whispers in the Great Hall grow in volume just a bit as people realize we're leaving, and as we walk out of the double doors, I can feel Ron's gaze practically boring a hole in the back of my skull. Beside me, Harry clenches his jaw, and keeps almost looking over his shoulder into the hall, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. Amused with his protectiveness, I reach over, grabbing one of his hands in mine.

"Come on," I tell him, leading him towards the doors that exit to the school grounds. "Hagrid wasn't at dinner." I glance up at him, smiling. "Lets go see what he's doing, ok?"

He glances at me, surprised, then nods. "That sounds like a good idea."

A few moments later, after the doors have shut behind us and we're far enough away from the school for his liking, Harry slips his hand out of mine. Curious, I look at him, only to feel myself being pulled closer to him, followed by his arm wrapping around my waist.

"Much better," he whispers, those green eyes of his now focused on me as a smile crosses his lips.

Sighing softly, I lean my head against his shoulder as we walk, enjoying the feeling of strength that he seems to radiate these days. And I can't help but wonder what on earth I'd do without him. Ron was and is my antagonist…to a certain extent. No matter how hard he really tries to be my protector. For that is Harry's roll. Since the day we met on the train, Harry's the one who thinks of me first…he's the one who's first reaction is to protect me, even if he has no idea how to do so, he'll try. And if he gets hurt himself? That's simply a necessary byproduct of the situation, and he'll take that over me getting hurt any day.

Ok, sure…he yelled at me a lot last year, but after four years of bottling up a lot of what he's been feeling, on top of the fact that it seemed like no one wanted to be honest with him about what was going on, he needed to get that out of his system. Granted this complete 180 of his is still surprising. Everyone expected to be seeing a repeat of last year, with a good deal of depression thrown in after the death of Sirius and all. Yet here he is; he's fit, he's healthy…he's actually acting like a teenage boy for the most part. And that's something he's never been able to be before.

"Mione?"

I hear the worry in his tone and look up, startled out of my thoughts. "Oh…sorry about that." Against my will, I feel the hints of a blush spread across my cheeks. "Just lost in thought."

His smile returns, and he hugs me to him for a brief moment. "That I can believe." He pauses, then glances back down at me. "Can I ask what you were thinking about?"

The blush remains as I duck my head and mutter, "You."

He stops walking, turning to face me now. "Me? You were thinking about me?"

I nod, then chance looking up at him, only to find surprise etched on his face. "Yes, you."

"Ok…" Still surprised, he runs a hand through his hair, then frowns. "What about me, exactly?"

"Just you in general." I smile. "How you're always there to protect me, no matter what…things like that."

He returns my smile, pulling me to him again, but this time, I slide my arms around his neck. "Well, you've protected me too, you know."

I raise an eyebrow, still smiling. "Oh have I now?"

"Yup." He nods once, eyes shining as he looks at me. "I believe at least once a year, in fact."

More content than I care to let on, I let out another soft sigh, and then close my eyes, setting my head back against his shoulder. He seems to not mind, and instead, starts sliding his fingers through my hair. It's been ages since anyone, my parents included, did such a thing, and I suppose that has something to do with my reaction to him. Because instead of staying quiet, the feeling of his nails light scraping over my scalp, then the tips of his fingers sliding over the same spot, soothing any hurt has me quite literally purring softly. But he doesn't stop. Instead, he chuckles lightly, and I can tell he's smiling at me again. I don't think I'll ever be sure just how long we stood there, enjoying just being close, but when he whispered near my ear that we really needed to be getting back inside, I know I pouted.

"Mione," he said softly, cupping my chin gently in his hand, the hints of a smile still lingering on his lips. "Keep pouting like that and I'm going to kiss you, then we'll be getting in way after curfew, and that really won't be good for either of us."

The idea of him kissing me again has me considering if it would be worth the punishment, but he laughs, and tugs me towards the doors before I have a chance to delay him. "Maybe another time, hmm?"

I look up at him, then smile when I see the way his eyes seem so bright and full of life. "Another time," I agree, moving forward and brushing a kiss over his cheek as a way of making it a promise.

"Now…" he whispered, then pulled me away from the castle again, and into an area so dark I couldn't even see him standing a few inches away from me. But sight no longer mattered when he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. Merlin…he shouldn't be allowed to kiss like this…I mean, how's a girl supposed to get her bearings when he's kissing her senseless? Ron certainly never kissed me like this…never made me loose track of time and space. And Ron definitely never made me feel like I was the only girl who mattered to him at that moment when he kissed me. Harry does that and so much more. So it's no surprise when I arc into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I hear him make some sort of sound low in his throat when I arc into him, and the idea that perhaps he enjoyed it has me smiling as we kiss. Ok…you know…this thinking thing that I normally believe is so great…totally over rated. _Mmm…that's it Harry…keep me from thinking…_

The clock was just striking the eleventh hour when two students crept in through the main doors, though to anyone who watched, all they would have seen was the great door opening and closing. The portraits that lined the hall whispered in their frames, wondering just who would be sneaking in at such an hour, and why they'd take the time to conceal themselves unless they were up to something. And rather than risk it being an intruder on the grounds, one of the people in the portraits through the other paintings, alerting Professor McGonagall who was out making rounds. Curious, she bustled down two flights of stairs, and then stopped when she reached the landing of the main staircase. There was no one in sight, but through the advanced senses of her Animagus form, she could vaguely smell the two who were trying to creep by her at that very second.

"Potter, Granger…just what are you doing up at this hour?"

Caught, Harry lowered the cloak from around himself and Hermione, looking sheepishly towards McGonagall. "We were just out for a walk, Professor," Harry fibbed, praying that McGonagall wouldn't catch the lie.

That, however, was a wasted prayer in this case. Even without the square-rimmed spectacles sitting a little low on the bridge of her nose, she would have noticed the flushed cheeks, swollen lips and tousled hair both sported. And after as many years of living as she had behind her, she knew perfectly well that any walking the two had done was only what was necessary to get a reasonable distance from the view of the castle windows. But rather than call them on it, she merely quirked an eyebrow and said, "Walking indeed."

Hermione blushed furiously, and instinctively turned to Harry to hide her face. The sheepish look was still on his face, but he wrapped a protective arm around Hermione when she moved to him, pulling her closer, despite the presence of McGonagall.

Sighing, the Transfiguration professor turned sharply on her heel, motioning for Harry to follow her. "Come on, you two. Its past time for you to have returned to the tower."

Relieved at the lack of a lecture, Harry folded up his Invisibility cloak and tucked it into his school robes, then slid his arm back around Hermione as they followed McGonagall up the stairs. The trek back to Gryffindor tower was quiet, and it wasn't until the portrait hole was open and the two students were about to head inside that the professor spoke.

"I'm docking Gryffindor ten points each for your outing, you two."

When Harry and Hermione turned, McGonagall gave the barest hint of a smile. "So I do hope the walk was worth the punishment."

The fact that they had gotten off more than lightly didn't register at all. Instead, they focused on the fact that, apparently, Professor McGonagall wasn't nearly as upset about their being out of bed as she'd like them to think.

It wasn't until after the portrait hole closed behind them that Professor Snape stepped from the shadows nearby, casting a glance at McGonagall. "It seems Potter is more like his father than we thought."

The words needed no interpretation, and Minerva let her gaze wonder back to the portrait the duo had passed through. "Perhaps," she conceded, then looked directly at her fellow professor. "But I believe he had a good dose of his mother in him as well."

Room of Requirement, next evening -

"I thought I might find you here."

The voice had Harry's head jerking up suddenly from the notebook he was bent over, and his green eyes snapped to the figure standing innocently in front of the door. "Ginny," he said in relief. "For a second I thought you were Hermione."

"Not that you'd mind her interrupting you I'm sure," Ginny said with a grin, moving further into the room, then sitting down in a chair the room conjured next to Harry's.

He raised an eyebrow at her comment, curious. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"That I rather noticed the fact that you two got in very late last night…And I heard McGonagall saying something about a walk, punishment, and hoping the walk was worth it or something of the sort." Ginny waved her hand dismissively, then settled her brown eyes on him. "Care to explain that, anyway?"

Harry rolled his eyes, then smirked at her. "No."

Smiling, Ginny shrugged. "Had to ask." Her eyes glanced towards the notebook he had been writing in. "Working on another song?"

"Yeah," he said, glad for the change of subject. "Its not finished, but…"

"What's this one about?" she asked, pulling the notebook towards her to read what he had written.

"Last year," he said simply, glancing down at the rather depressing lyrics for himself.

__

"He said he's falling to pieces  
Fighting the boy and the man  
Over his shoulder there was freedom  
But consciousness has tied his hands

Embodied youth was his distinction  
Now inhibition's in demand  
So driven by his fear of weakness  
That's his key to understand

So far in a distant land  
There's a fight between boy and man  
See the light through the open door  
Sit and watch as the young grow old

Trading places in the circle  
Turn the glass, spill the sand  
They say that time can make the difference  
But age doesn't make you a man  
So far in a distant land

There's a fight between boy and man  
See the light through the open door  
Sit and watch as the young grow old

So young but overblown  
So young but overblown  
So young but overblown

Take a look now, see the boy is weakened  
Watch him fade, watch him fade away  
Take a bow and the boy is defeated  
Is this the way, this the way?

So far in a distant land  
There's a fight between boy and man  
See the light through the open door  
Sit and watch as the young grow old" **(2)**

It was a few moments after she had finished reading before Ginny found her voice again, and when she did, she looked up at him again. "I thought you said it wasn't finished."

"I haven't gotten the music for it done, I mean," he said while flipping backward in the book a few pages. He glanced at her, then pointed to the page with a grin. "I wrote this one for you."

"Oh?" Extremely curious, she bent her head over the book again, reading the lyrics to a song he had titled simply 'Sister.' When she finished again, she raised her head, a hint of a smile forming on her lips. "I like it."

"I figured you'd understand what I was getting at if you read it."

"Of course." She smiled, but any further conversation was cut short when Hermione pushed the door open abruptly.

"Oh." Hermione seemed too surprised at finding them alone in the room together to say much else, but then her eyes spotted the notebook laying open between them on the desk, and she frowned. She'd seen Harry writing in it many times that year when he thought no one was looking, and had wondered when he'd share its contents with her. The fact that he shared it with Ginny first stung, and that, more than anything, caused her to add more bite to her tone than she might have otherwise. "Well you two look comfy."

Recognizing the look in her eyes, Ginny rolled her eyes. "Harry's just helping me with some stuff, Hermione." She glanced at Harry, pushing the notebook back at him, which he snatched off of the desk, his eyes still glued to Hermione.

And though it was likely somewhat foolish, Ginny stood, then kissed Harry on the cheek only seconds before sending a somewhat challenging glance at Hermione. Harry picked up on Ginny's purpose, and swatted her on the butt, drawing a surprised look from her.

"Mind your own business, Weaslette." His eyes settled on Hermione again. "And I'd recommend you go…I need to have a talk with Hermione."

Ginny rolled her eyes, but headed for the door anyway. Before closing the door, she glanced over her shoulder at him, smirking. "Be good, big brother, or I'll have to be a tattle tale."

The door was shut before Harry could answer her, and he shook his head in amusement. Sighing, he slid his notebook of songs into his bag, then glanced up at Hermione, then gestured at the seat Ginny had just vacated. "Come here."

She seemed to realize that it wasn't a request, and slid into the chair, never letting her eyes settle on him. Instead, she kept her gaze focused on the door, much to his annoyance.

"Hermione," he said, then again more forcefully when she didn't look his way. When that too failed, he scooted his chair around in front of her, blocking her view of the door, then reached out and grasped her chin gently in his hand. "Mione…please. Don't do this."

Pouting, she finally raised her eyes to his, and he was mildly shocked by the hurt look she gave him. "Aww…Mione…come on. Please…I can't stand it when you look at me like that. So just tell me what I did wrong now and what I have to do to make it up to you, ok?" He pleaded, his green eyes filling with emotion of their own…one Hermione didn't quite recognize. And that, perhaps, was a factor in her choice to answer him honestly.

"What are you hiding, Harry?" She queried, brown eyes begging him to tell her. "I mean…you're always scribbling away in that notebook…and on top of that…its like…there's something deeper…something else that you just won't tell me about. And I hate it!" She sighed, then reached out, sliding her hand over the rough texture of his cheek; evidently he likely hadn't shaved for a day or two. "You normally talk to me…especially when it's something important. So why not now? What's changed?"

"Nothing's changed, Mione. The notebook…well…its…I didn't even intend to share it with Ginny…but she caught me with it open one day in here, and started reading it before I could put it up. I plan on sharing it with you…just…not now, ok? I need to work on it some more…its anything but finished." At her nod, he continued before she could interrupt. "As for the other…the deeper thing I won't tell you…" He rubbed a hand over his eyes, not knowing what to say. "I can't even deal with it myself, right now. And I know if I tell you about it, you'll worry about me more than you already do." He lifted his gaze to hers. "I can't burden you like that. Merlin…we're 16 years old, and I don't think either of us has had an even slightly normal past few years, even by Wizarding standards." Frowning, he stood up and started to pace the room, unable to get out the words he needed. "I can't…Damn it…" A hand raked through his messy hair, standing a good deal of it on end. "Mione…please. I can't do this. I…"

His plea was cut short when she laid a finger over his lips, silencing him. He hadn't even noticed her getting out of the chair or moving towards him, which to her was a sign of how distressed he was over this. And so she switched modes, going from interrogation to caring in a blink of an eye.

"Harry, if you can't tell me all of it, then I'll find a way to understand. But maybe I can help you. That's all I want to do…help you. I'm not asking for you to tell me every last secret you have. I'm just asking that you let me help you get through problems other than those that have to do with Voldemort."

Harry's eyes met hers directly. "Right now…he's the source of just about every problem I've got…including the biggest one of all."

"So…this thing, this big thing you're not telling me…it has to do with him?"

Harry nodded, and with a thought, the chair he had been sitting in before changed into a couch identical to the one he had made out with Hermione on not but two nights ago. Sitting down, he looked up at her as she moved towards him again. "It has to do with me, and him and Dumbledore and just about every other person in the whole fucking wizarding world. And its about ready to eat me alive."

"Harry…" she sighed, then kneeled down in front of him, gently setting her hands on his knees. "Please. Maybe…maybe if you tell me, it won't."

The pleading look she gave him was his undoing, and he leaned forward, taking her hands in his as he prepared to share with her the information that had changed his life forever from the moment he heard it barely 6 months ago.

__

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"

His voice was hollow, empty of emotion, as he finished repeating those words, and he almost regretted saying them as soon as they left his tongue. But then he found himself knocked back into the couch, his lap suddenly filled with a warm body. Hermione's arms were around his neck barely half a second later, and he could feel a tear hit his shoulder where his robes and the t-shirt he had on underneath didn't cover. She pulled back from the intense hug, cinnamon and honey eyes staring into his, while tears glistened in the corners of them.

"Oh Harry…" she whispered, bringing one hand around to slide over his cheek. "It always happens to you, doesn't it?"

Because she needed it, he forced a hint of a smile. "I'm getting used to it, I think…being the one everything happens to I mean."

She shook her head, then leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. "You'll get through this, you know," she stated simply, still speaking softly. "Too many people need you here. There's no way fate would let you be the one to…" Hermione choked before she got the word 'die' out, unable to voice the possibility, no matter how real it might be. "Well, you know."

His arms slid around her waist as he looked at her, his expression loosing all traces of amusement it had held for her benefit. "I don't care about all those people who need some sort of a hero, Mione. Maybe its callous, but I don't. They'll never know me, ever. To them, and a good deal of the Wizarding world, I'll always be the Boy Who Lived."

The barest hint of a smile curved her lips, even as another tear slid down her cheek. "Maybe so. But to me, and the Weasleys, and Dumbledore and Remus…you'll always be Harry…just Harry." There was a pause, and she pulled back, searching his eyes for a hint of his feelings before continuing. "My Harry."

Something in the way she called him 'her Harry,' had him smiling. "Your Harry?" he questioned, snuggling her closer to him, needing the simple comfort she was offering more than he'd admit. "So now I'm your Harry?"

She nodded, fighting the blush that started to spread its way over her face and down her neck. "Unless you mind…"

He shook his head, then rested his forehead against hers, his green eyes watching her. "I don't mind." A slow grin crept across his lips. "So long as you're my Mione."

"Of course," she stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "One question…"

"Hmm?"

"This…prophecy…" she paused, giving him a look that said she hated bringing it up. "It says you have a power he knows not…do you…"

"No." Sighing, he slid a hand through his hair. "I don't know what it is. I think Dumbledore does, but he's hoping I'll figure it out for myself."

Hermione leaned into him a bit more and went quiet, the look on her face one that Harry always associated with her solving a problem. A few moments later, she looked up at him, face full of determination. "I want to talk to Dumbledore myself."

"What?"

"Well its your power isn't it?" Hermione queried. "You've got a right to know what it is, and he should tell you. Or at least give you a hint."

"He did say that whatever this power is that I have, is also held in a room in the Department of Mysteries. Its both more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human nature or forces of nature. And its supposed to be the most mysterious of the subjects that's studied there." **(a)**

Hermione's eyes went wide. "More wonderful and terrible than death, forces of nature or human nature? How is that possible?"

Harry pulled her back to him, then rested his head against hers. "I don't know, Mione. But I've got to find out."

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A/N: This is my shortest chapter for this story yet, but I just can't see the point in making this update be in June when I can post this now. Part of the reason for the shortness is my muse is working hard on my new story, "Divinity Forensis," a HP/Underworld cross over of sorts. As soon as DF has a new chapter, this will again too. So keep an eye out! Oh yeah…Divinity Forensis is ONLY on Portkey, as has given me so many problems lately. Sorry!

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(a) - That is actually part of Dumbledore's speech about the prophecy. The full thing can be found in Ch. 37 "The Lost Prophecy", Pg. 843 (US Edition), towards the bottom of the page.

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(1) - "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by The Jayhawks (Can be found on Dawson's Creek soundtrack 2)

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(2) - "Young Grow Old" by Creed (Unknown CD)

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ALSO, Coming up in future chapters: Harry gets a nasty Halloween surprise, Hermione and Harry continue to sneak away for private moments, and Ron…well…he gets the crud beat out of him again…I almost feel sorry for the guy. Almost.


	6. Chapter 5 Take Me

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Faith

Chapter 5, "Take Me"

By: RogueBHS

Author Notes: Ahh Portkey…Thank you to my wonderful reviewers ever so much! And also, I now have a beta, so this should be more eh…grammatically accurate and what not. LOL. Oh…and as proof I won't forget this any time soon…A friend of mine and I are working out details for a sequel provided this continues getting reviews like it is. Just FYI!

Also, I advertised that there would be a "mess in potions" occurring in Ch. 2. My mistake. LOL. That happens THIS chapter. I just got ahead of myself.

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Notice: Yahoo's Metric Converter calculated all metric values. Any values that are wrong, I apologize ahead of time for. I will be posting the American equivalent in parenthesis at all times.

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Also: If you see a lowercase letter in double parenthesis like this: ((a)), that means there is an Author note about that area of the chapter at the bottom. This is primarily for spells and such. Numbers in a double parenthesis are used to indicate songs when used in a chapter. Look at the end of the chapter for listings of such things.

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Main Characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Sabine Kington (OC), Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin and others…like Voldemort for instance. ;)

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Couples: Ron/Hermione, Ginny/Draco, Dumbledore/McGonagall (hinted mostly), Harry/Hermione, Lavender/Ron/Luna and others.

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Full Plot Summary: Most would think that with the OWLs over and done with, and NEWTS not being taken until the next school year, that Harry Potter would have an easy 6th year. But when you add up the loss of his godfather, the weight of the prophecy, harder classes, girl trouble, and the ever-looming threat of Voldemort and his followers…not to mention a changing group of friends, Harry's 6th year may well be the hardest yet. Oh yes…did I mention being ladies man? (giggle)

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Chapter 5, "Take Me"

The steps to Dumbledore's office opened up to the main floor of Hogwarts, allowing a black haired young man and an older wizard to exit as they walked side by side. The older man was trying to comfort the younger, but to no avail. When they were close enough to a door leading outside, Harry broke away from the older wizard, taking off at a run towards the Great Lake. He paid no heed to the sound of Remus shouting for him to come back, or to the footfalls that soon echoed his own. Instead, he shoved a roll of parchment deep into his pockets and pushed his body into a full out sprint, leaving Remus to stare after him. It took him a while to reach the far side of the lake, but it was a place he was assured privacy for a time, and he sunk gratefully onto a fallen log.

For nearly an hour, his green eyes stared unseeingly at the ground in front of him, his mind running rampant with thoughts that he could make no sense of. Then the sound of someone approaching his haven broke through the daze, and he jerked alert, fingering his wand carefully.

"Oh honestly, Harry. Its just me."

Frowning, Harry watched as Hermione climbed over some low rocks and moved to stand near him. **_She's intruding, _**a part of him yelled**_, she has no right…No right… _**Yes she does, Harry thought forcefully. _She helped me…she was there… **She didn't talk about it with you though did she?** _The other voice jeered. _That's his fault, not hers. Ron kept her from asking. **And he's around you two all of the time is he? **Well, no_…Harry admitted, forcing his eyes to turn away from the worried ones of his best friend. _But she cares…I know she does. Doesn't she?_

What on earth is going on in that head of his? Hermione wondered, thoroughly worried about his lack of response to her arrival. Remus had warned that Harry might not be in a good mood, but she had risked his anger anyway, wanting to be here if he needed her. But now she was starting to think that perhaps she should have heeded Remus' advice to let Harry come to her.

"Go."

"What?"

Harry's green eyes turned back to her. "I said, GO!" He yelled the final word, a brief flash of anger sparking in his eyes.

Somewhat unsure now, Hermione took a step back. "Harry…"

"Just go!"

His eyes turned away again, and Hermione frowned. "I just…" She stumbled over the words, brown eyes tearing just a little at this sudden outburst. Then, without warning, she spun on her heal and went running back the way she had come, leaving him alone.

**__**

See, she doesn't care, the voice jeered again. _Yes, she does, _Harry insisted. _She wouldn't have kissed me all those times other wise. **Oh big deal…she kissed you. Perhaps she was imagining it was someone else. **She wouldn't…**are you sure? **Yes I…Bloody hell, what am I doing, arguing this with myself? **Who said I'm you?**_

Harry's head jerked up, his eyes wide. **_Voldemort? _**A crude laugh echoed in his brain. **_Very good, Potter. I was wondering how long it would take you to put the pieces together. Very interesting fact by the way, the fact that you've fallen for a mudblood. So much like your father, aren't't you, Potter? _**I'm nothing like him! **Oh really now? It would seem I've touched a sore spot. **Leave me alone! **Now why would I do that, Potter? **This is MY head! My thoughts! GET OUT!

There was a sharp pain in his scar, and then Harry felt himself falling from the log he was seated on as Voldemort was forced from his mind quickly. He wasn't quite sure how long he lay there on the cool ground, letting his body and mind recover from the sudden attack, but by the time he found the strength to pull himself back up, the sky above was darkening considerably. _Great…with my luck, Dumbledore has the entire school out looking for me, _Harry thought as he pushed his way past a few trees. _Though I suppose I really shouldn't have strayed this far to begin with. _His eyes lifted to the clear sky above, currently hued in multiple shades of pinks, oranges, yellows and purples, with a dark blue slowly stretching to cover it all up. A few stars were starting to show against the dark blue, with a quarter moon completing the picture. _Merlin it's a good night. Perfect night for sneaking out with a girl, actually. _He started to wonder what Hermione might think of him sneaking her out of the tower, and then realized she was likely more than a little angry with him now.

__

Damn you, Voldemort, Harry thought bitterly, though hoping the dark wizard couldn't hear. _I guess I should go apologize and what not. _And with that in mind, Harry strode closer to the school, only to see a good many people heading his way. _Ahh…the search party,_ he thought with a laugh_. I figured as much. _There was a shout, and then a figure broke away from the others, sprinting towards him, hair flying out behind her. Though the scene reminded him more than a bit of what happened at Kings Cross earlier that year, he didn't focus on it. Instead, he opened his arms wide and let Hermione crash into him, and then wrapped his arms tight around her.

"I'm sorry, Mione," he whispered in her ear, then raised his eyes to those who were coming closer. In the light of Hagrid's huge lantern, Harry could see the forms of Professors McGonagall, Dumbledore and Snape, as well as Remus Lupin. None of them looked too pleased at his being out so late. But in the features of Remus, Dumbledore and McGonagall, he found a sort of relief, and realized with a start that they had truly been worried about him. He gave Hermione a final squeeze, then moved her to his side, prepared to deal with the consequences of staying away so late…_Well, I didn't exactly mean to, now did I?_

"Harry," Remus' voice cut through before Harry's thoughts could continue, "thank Merlin you're ok." And before Harry could register what the werewolf intended, he was given a brief hug. "But what on earth were you thinking?"

Harry bowed his head for a moment, and then glanced up at the professors. "I didn't mean to stay away. I just…"

"We all know how you love to break the rules, Potter," Professor Snape broke in. "So please, spare us any excuses."

Harry's eyes flashed and he raised his head to meet Snape's gaze head on. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, voice full of venom. "I just had a nice chat with your master, and it rather tired me out."

The effect of that sentence was more than attention getting. Professor McGonagall and Hermione both gasped, taking a step away in surprise. Remus reached out, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder, as if to check that this was still his godson. But the sneer on Snape's face did little to hide the sudden fear that clouded his dark eyes. Beside him, Hagrid was staring wide-eyed at Harry, and Dumbledore just considered the boy for a moment.

"You had a conversation with Voldemort, Harry?"

"Yeah," he snapped, a feeling of anger sweeping through him. "Now if you don't mind, I'm kinda tired. Good night."

The others watched him stride purposefully towards the castle for a moment, and then Hermione again broke away from the group, taking off after her best friend at a run.

"Harry!"

He didn't look back, didn't even acknowledge that he heard her in any way.

"Damn it, Harry, SLOW DOWN!"

__

No…I don't want to talk, damn it. Just leave me alone! When is she going to learn that I'm dangerous? He knows…he knows about how I feel for her. Shit this is a mess. I can't protect her all of the time, and he'd kill her in an instant, just to get to me. It was bad enough when I only thought of her as a friend, but now? Merlin, I might as well have painted a big bull's-eye on her and pushed her right in his path. What was I thinking? Oh wait…I wasn't thinking. I was feeling…I have definitely got to stop doing that. It only ever ends with me or someone I care about in trouble. Like him…

Harry didn't slow down until he had reached the portrait hole for Gryffindor tower, and it was then he realized this was the first place she'd look. His feet set off on another course barely a second later, and he followed the familiar path up to the owlery, deciding to pay Hedwig a visit. Hopefully Hermione wouldn't check for him there.

By the time the next morning had dawned, Harry still hadn't returned to Gryffindor tower, and even Ron was starting to worry about him since the Marauders' Map was missing too. It wasn't like Harry to stay away from the tower overnight unless he was in the hospital wing, but given that Madam Pomfrey hadn't alerted anyone, they knew he hadn't checked himself in so-to-speak. So yet again, the castle was searched for him, including the Room of Requirement, but to no avail. Just as Dumbledore was about to stand up and make a request that whomever had seen Harry that morning, if anyone, would tell a professor, Harry walked through the doors into the Great Hall, dressed in fresh robes and his bag slung on his shoulder. Hermione didn't fight her impulse, and yet again, found herself hurrying to him, wondering where he'd been all night. Since most of the school was unaware of his disappearance, Hermione's actions drew a good bit of attention, but she didn't care. He was all right, and that's what mattered.

"Never, ever, ever do that again," she whispered forcefully as she hugged him, lingering over it just a second longer than was necessary. "You had us all worried," she informed him, this time in a more normal volume, but still soft enough to prevent eavesdroppers from overhearing.

"Sorry," he said, keeping his eyes focused on her rather than the rest of the hall. "I just needed time alone."

Hermione snorted softly, drawing an amused glance from Harry as she pulled him towards where she had been sitting. "A whole night of it outside of the tower? What were you thinking?"

Harry frowned slightly. "Its not like I meant to. I just fell asleep…elsewhere."

"And that makes it alright then?" Ron questioned, turning his blue eyes to his friends as they sat down.

Harry looked up sharply, surprised to see Ron there. "I didn't say that."

Ginny sighed, nudging her brother when she saw he was about to start pressing buttons. When he looked to her, she shook her head from side to side slightly, encouraging him to keep silent just this once. Once her brother complied, she looked back to Harry. "I'm just going to say this, big brother: don't do it again if you can help it. You had Remus about ready to go spare over you missing, convinced it was partially his fault. I think Madam Pomfrey had to sedate him last night so that he'd sleep. If you don't wanna talk about what's bothering you, fine. But don't go running off, ok?"

Harry winced when she mentioned Remus' reaction, and he lowered his eyes from hers. "Look, I just…I needed to be alone, and I was tired. I don't know what they told you about what happened yesterday at lunch, but it wasn't pleasant ok?"

"They didn't tell us anything, Harry. I think that Professor Dumbledore told McGonagall, Hagrid and Snape, but that's it. He said it was up to you to talk to us, and it wasn't his place to do so for you," Hermione informed him.

Relief spilled through him at the fact that no one had talked for him, but at the same time, he half wished they had. Talking about it made it real…more real than it had been all summer. And that was something he wasn't sure he could deal with. No longer hungry, but knowing Hermione would have a fit if he didn't eat anything, he added butter and jam to a piece of toast. It took him a good few minutes to eat it, seeing as it didn't even sound good, but the relief on Hermione's face was enough to make him grab a couple of pieces of bacon too. Standing, he slid his bag onto his shoulder, then glanced at his friends. "Look, I'm gonna walk around. I'll see you in Potions, ok?" The last was directed at Hermione, and she nodded, happier now that he wasn't avoiding her altogether.

"Sure, Harry." She flashed him a smile, then turned back to her own breakfast, obviously hoping to catch up with him shortly.

"Oh, and Ron…"

The redhead looked up from his overfilled plate, surprised at being addressed. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Ron was more than confused, but he shrugged and grinned, glad that things were slowly returning to normal. "Whatever, mate."

Harry nodded and returned the grin, then with a brief wave to Ginny and Neville, he walked out of the great hall and headed towards the Potions class, taking his time about it. And, as he'd suspected, Hermione caught up with him before he even reached the classroom door. Because he wasn't in the mood to discuss what had happened the day before, as she'd likely want to, he reached out, pulling her to him. A brief glance and a perimeter charm later, Harry moved them both out of the general line of sight in a small nook off the dungeon hallway, then proceeded to kiss her. But this wasn't how he normally kissed her. The previous times he had kissed her, no matter how much need he poured into them, he kept the kisses more gentle. This kiss was anything but gentle. Instead, he pushed her hard into the stone wall, and crushed his lips against hers with a bruising intensity.

To Hermione, it was obvious he just wanted to forget something for now, and so long as he talked about it later, she had no problem being the one to help him forget. So she arched into him, allowing the kiss to deepen. The first feel of his tongue at her lips almost had her pulling back in surprise. He'd yet to ask that of her, but if that's what he needed…_then that's what he'll get._ And so she allowed this new intrusion, having never even allowed Ron to come this far. _Don't think about him…only Harry…my Harry…_

Barely three minutes later, Harry's head snapped up, rudely ending their rather pleasant mini snog session. Curious, Hermione stayed quiet, wondering what had caused him to halt so abruptly. Then, the sound of people coming down the stairs into the dungeon registered, and she glanced to Harry again. _How on earth did he hear them so fast? _She wondered, watching as he stepped away from her. He gave her a sheepish grin, then ducked out of the nook they were in, straightening his school robes as he did so. Smiling, she fixed her own appearance as best she could without a mirror, then moved to join him in front of the Potions classroom. The door opened suddenly, and the students filed in, quite used to this whole procedure by now. Pairing off into the groups Snape had assigned them, the rows of seats were only half filled when the Potions master swept into the room as was his custom.

"Today we'll begin the brewing of Veritaserum. It is a very difficult potion, and I doubt all of you will succeed in making it properly." He swept his gaze over Neville and Harry pointedly, making it clear it was them whom he felt would fail. But then again, Neville was paired with Hermione, and there was no way that she'd allow them to get less than an E on the potion. Harry, however, was paired with Draco Malfoy, and though the blonde Slytherin had been decent enough so far, there was no telling when he would go back to being his usual self.

"The instructions," Snape said as he waved his wand to the board behind him," are on the board. This potion will take us the rest of the month to complete. So when you have finished the instructions on the board, you may leave." And with that, he turned abruptly and took a seat behind his desk.

Glancing at Draco, Harry sighed and pulled out a piece of parchment, then wrote down the directions quickly. After double checking they were correct, he was about to ask Draco to help him get the ingredients, only to find that he had been beaten to the punch so to speak, and Draco was already standing at the cabinets, waiting. Sighing, Harry joined his partner in the line, and glanced ahead at Hermione who was handing a bottle of something to Neville. She caught his eye and smiled briefly, then turned back to Neville when he spoke.

"What's with you and Granger?"

Startled by the question, Harry looked at Draco as if he had grown a second head. "What do you mean?"

The blonde boy rolled his eyes, then glanced between the two. "She suddenly breaks up with the Weasel, and now you two are never out of the other's company? Rather suspicious."

"What do you care, Malfoy?"

Smirking, Draco shook his head. "If you don't know what I'm getting at, Potter, then maybe I should be the one making our potion. As for why I care…well…lets just say I like to watch Weasley loose."

Frowning, Harry rolled his eyes. "I may not be Hermione, but I can still brew a potion, Malfoy. So lets get this started alright?"

"Agreed."

The class was nearly over, and a good portion of the students were now adding the final ingredient of the day, when a sudden explosion happened right there in the room. As it turned out, Pansy Parkinson's cauldron was what had exploded, leaving the dungeon classroom littered with pieces of iron and what little remained of her potion. Practically seething with rage, Snape marched towards the Slytherin girl's table, wand out.

"Just what did you think you were doing, Miss Parkinson?" Snape asked, for once not blaming another house. After all, Pansy was paired with Millicent Bulstrode, and there were only Ravenclaws and one other Slytherin around her, none of who would have messed up this potion so easily. Still pointing his wand at her, Snape quickly assessed the damage, noticing that a few of the closer potions were now contaminated with the iron and messed up potion.

"Thanks to you, half the class will now half to restart the entire assignment." A groan went up from those around her who had been brewing the potion fine. "I think a detention for you both might teach you a lesson." Frowning, he glanced around again, and noticed some of the potion on the robes of some of the other students. "Class dismissed, and I would highly recommend you all change your robes. I won't have your heads of houses coming to me if that potion comes in contact with your skin and has some adverse affect."

Grumbling, the class packed up their things and filed out, leaving Pansy and Millicent to be dealt with. There was a good fifteen minutes until the next classes began, but to have to return to Gryffindor or Ravenclaw towers to change and still get to class on time? That would prove nearly impossible. However, the threat of the unknown potion had quite a few students hurrying to their dorms to change. Three took it slower than the rest, and as such, were left behind in the dungeon hallway as the others dashed up stairs. Harry ushered Hermione towards the stairs, having noticed a bit of potion on the arm of her robes, then paused to look back at Draco who was taking his time as well.

"Hey, Malfoy."

Draco looked up from his bag, surprised at being addressed. "What?"

"Thanks."

Confused, Draco nearly questioned Harry on what he meant, but then shrugged it off. "Whatever you say, Potter."

Smirking, Harry turned and dashed off to rejoin Hermione, leaving Draco to his thoughts. _I really think scar head's lost it if he's thanking me for something, _Draco thought, glancing back toward the stairs that led into the main part of the castle. _But she'd want me to play nice…so I guess that's what I'll be doing. _Thinking of his girlfriend, Draco let a smile curve his lips. _Maybe I can convince her to take a walk later…and do a little snogging._

As the final class of the day let out, Hermione packed up quickly, glancing across the room to where Harry had been forced to sit. Dumbledore had partnered everyone up for duels, and much to her disbelief, she and Harry hadn't been paired. Instead, Harry had been placed with Blaise Zabini, one of Draco's dorm mates, and she had been placed with Susan Bones. Ron, on the other hand, had managed to be paired with fellow Gryffindor and dorm mate, Seamus. The duels had gone fairly well, with those who were in the DA winning a good percentage of the time. Granted, they had only got through the first half of the students in the class. The duel between Ron and Seamus had taken the longest, running a full fifteen minutes in length, much to some people's surprise. But Hermione wasn't that shocked about it really. Ron had never been of the same skill as Harry or herself in actual spell work, but he had the power to be better than he was. Just try convincing him of that though.

Glancing back in Harry's direction, Hermione was startled to find he wasn't there. Standing up straight, she looked around the entire room, only to find him up at the front, deep in discussion with Professor Dumbledore. Smiling, she slid her back onto her shoulder and moved to the door to wait for him. But he had noticed her movement, and waved her on. The smile turned into a frown as he turned back to the headmaster, returning immediately to the discussion. Nevertheless, she turned and headed out of the door, wondering what on earth was going on with him today. _He's so back and forth and back and forth all of a sudden, she thought. I mean, he's been so normal all year thus far, and now…_Hermione glanced over her shoulder at the classroom, then heaved a sigh as she headed upstairs to drop off her book bag before dinner. _If he doesn't talk to me about whatever is going on by tomorrow night, I honestly think I'll be about ready to corner him about it. He's already told me the prophecy, so it's not like he wouldn't come to me if it was that. Which means it's something else…something just as big, perhaps, that's bothering him._

Wait a second…Hermione stopped dead in the hall as something occurred to her. _How on earth did I not realize this sooner? _She wondered, then turned back towards the Defense classroom, looking for Harry. _I guess Ron's badgering me not to talk about it went further than I thought. I mean, he lost Sirius! It has to have something to do with that, it just has to. I doubt anything else would affect him like this. Merlin, how could I have been so blind?_

Her thoughts were cut short when she saw Harry heading for her, and she forced a smile when his eyes found her. He seemed surprised to see her there, but he hurried his stride, and caught up with her quickly.

"Decided to wait for me anyway, hmm?" he questioned, glancing down at her as they both started walking back to Gryffindor tower.

"I just thought of something, and so I stopped, rather than trip over everyone. Then I saw you headed this way, so…" Hermione let the sentence hang, and looked up to him, studying his face. The fire in them that had seemed so bright all year was now dimmer, she realized, clouded by sadness and a touch of guilt. "Harry…I…uh…"

His green eyes turned back to her curiously. "Yes?"

"I'm not really that hungry, and I kind of wanted to talk to you. If that's ok, I mean."

He shrugged, then looked to the portrait entrance to Gryffindor tower. "Canary Cream," he said, then motioned for Hermione to go ahead of him. "I'm a little hungry," he added, picking up the conversation again, "but if you wanna talk, then we can always grab something from the kitchens. I haven't been by to see Dobby yet anyway."

Nodding, Hermione glanced around, noticing that there were quite a few people lounging in the common room, then looked back to Harry. "Somewhere a little more private perhaps?"

He smirked at her, but nodded. "Hang on one sec. I need to get something from my trunk." He was halfway to the stairs when he glanced over his shoulder at her. "You are allowed up here, you know."

Smiling, she hurried to catch up, and joined him just as he pushed open the door to the boy's dorms. He dumped his books out of his bag and onto the bed, then opened his trunk, placing them inside before pulling out the invisibility cloak and map. "Just in case," he told her. Then he dug deeper, and pulled out two paper-wrapped packages and placed them in his bag with the cloak and map. Ignoring Hermione's confused look, he closed the lid and then after grabbing something from his nightstand, smiled at her. "Alright. Room of Requirement you think?"

"That will do," she agreed.

He nodded, then kissed her briefly on the lips, surprising her. But he gave no explanation, and instead, lead her from the dorm just as Ron was heading up to drop off his bag. He glanced briefly at the two, raising an eyebrow.

"Going somewhere?"

"Yeah, neither of us is that hungry, and it's kinda loud downstairs. So we're just going to take a walk around for a while," Harry said, watching Ron closely for signs of anger.

"Oh. I'd offer to tag along, but I've got detention with Filch tonight. He swears he saw me running in the halls, even though I wasn't. And when I went to McGonagall, she said that if I got one more detention, I'd loose the prefect badge. Didn't ask if I was actually running or not, just bloody well assumed Filch was right."

Hermione gave the most sympathetic smile she could, despite still not being happy with him. She was fully aware of how unfair Filch could be. "Sorry about the detention and all, Ron. But we'll catch up with you later maybe, ok?"

Ron nodded, then waved them goodbye as he continued up the stairs to the dorms. When he was gone, Harry glanced at Hermione. "I wonder if he'll be able to keep from getting another detention. He loves that badge, but…"

Hermione nodded, then pushed the portrait open so they could exit into the hall. "Guess we'll have to find out the hard way. And so will he if he gets another detention. McGonagall still hasn't forgiven him for starting that fight with you in the middle of the great hall, I don't think."

"Well, I wasn't exactly innocent in that one, now was I?"

"No, but he did start it, and continued to provoke you. You would have stopped sooner if he hadn't started in on me."

"That's true enough. I still can't believe he punched me though," Harry said, rubbing a hand over his nose thoughtlessly.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the gesture, and glanced at him. "Neither could anyone else, Harry. Neither could anyone else."

Once in the room of requirement, Harry sank into a plush black couch, letting his bag set on the floor, and looked up to Hermione. She gave the room a once over, not surprised at the amount of black coloring used this time. Obviously Harry's feelings of guilt and sadness had influenced the room more than she realized they could. Shaking that off, she sat down next to him. He wasn't satisfied with that arrangement, and pulled her into his lap, then let his eyes meet hers.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Gathering her courage, Hermione bit at her lip idly. "Well…actually…if you don't mind and all…"

He raised an eyebrow. "If I don't mind what?"

Sighing, she looked away for a moment, then back to him. "I kept trying to talk to you about this last year, but Ron always convinced me to stay quiet about it. And well…" Unused to stumbling over words, she grew frustrated. "I know you were close to Sirius Harry, and I know that you miss him. But…you never talk about it. Ever. That can't be healthy."

Harry frowned, averting his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Harry," she pleaded, "don't do this." She placed a hand along his jaw and turned his face back to hers. "I just want to help."

Anger built just under the surface and showed clearly in his eyes. Abruptly, he lifted her from his lap and set her onto the other part of the couch, then stood and began to pace rather like a caged lion. "I know you want to help, Mione. I do. But I can't do this." He reached into his pocket and threw a roll of parchment in her general direction before resuming his pacing. "I got that yesterday at lunch, courtesy of Dumbledore. Seems he felt it was time I move on, too." He walked to a wall, slamming his fist into it hard, and the resulting hole had Hermione staring before she remembered the parchment. Lifting it, she carefully unrolled it, then read the title; **Last Will and Testament of Sirius Black.**

That explained it all, she realized. The temper, the solitude. Harry was in no way ready to read something like this, and yet Dumbledore had obviously forced it upon him. Setting the parchment aside, she rose and went to him, ignoring the way he was nursing the hand that he had hit the wall with. His eyes looked to her, and an eyebrow rose in silent question again. Then, she did something he hadn't expected. She hugged him. He had been expecting her to agree with Dumbledore, to say he should move on. But instead, her first response was to hug him. Anger quieting, Harry wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back fiercely, burying his face against her neck.

She said none of the usual words of comfort that are offered at the death of a loved one, said none of the meaningless phrases that were meant to help. Instead, she held on to him just as fiercely. They stood there for only five minutes, clinging to each other, but to them, it could have been longer or shorter and they wouldn't know the difference. Shyly, Harry pulled back some and looked down at the girl in his arms. In any other situation, having her so close would have resulted in a hell of a snogfest, but not this time. There was something just as intimate about this sharing of emotion and grief that Harry didn't even pretend to understand. All he knew was that there was no person in the world he'd have shared such a moment with, other than Hermione.

Seeing him lost in thought as he looked at her, Hermione smiled just a bit, then leaned up, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek, effectively drawing his attention back to the real world.

"Better?"

Harry only nodded, but he leaned forward again, resting his forehead against hers. "Yeah." The barest hint of a smile worked its way onto his lips. "Thanks to you."

Blushing lightly, Hermione waved it away, then settled her arm back around his neck. "If you want to talk about it, you know I'm here, right?"

"Of course," he answered. Then, feeling the slow rush of physical attraction building again, he gently nuzzled her neck, earning him a soft sigh of surprise. "But I have something for you, actually. I meant to give you this at your birthday, but I forgot." And before he acted on his attraction to her again, he removed his arms from around her and moved away. Knowing he had her undivided attention, he took a seat on the couch again, and motioned for her to join him. While she sat, he pulled the two paper wrapped packages from his bag on the floor, setting them in his lap as he turned to face her.

"Last year, at Christmas, Sirius gave me something so that if Snape abused his eh…privileges, during the Occlumency lessons, I could let him know. But I was too afraid of luring him out of Grimmauld Place to think of using them. In fact, I swore never to use it," he said, a hint of guilt seeping back into his eyes. "Little did I know, he had this with him when I tried contacting him via Umbridge's floo." Harry handed her one of the packages, and watched while she unwrapped it, revealing a square compact-like piece in black lacquer. "Open it," he told her, green eyes still watching her every move. Slowly, she found the clasp on it, and pushed the compact open, revealing a mirror on one side, and the name "Padfoot" engraved into silver on the other side. Her brown eyes raised to his in question, and he showed her the engraving in his own compact. It said simply, "Prongs." Realization dawned, and she looked between the two mirrors.

"These were your dad and Sirius'? "

Harry nodded, then pulled out his wand, pointing it the compact in his hand. "They're a way to communicate. Dad and Sirius would use it when they got Detentions or whatever." He looked at her. "Remus showed me how to work them when he dropped by Privet Drive near the end of summer."

"Does he have one too then?"

"No. But he'd borrow one sometimes if he was in the hospital wing after a transformation or something."

Hermione glanced at him. "You…You're giving me this?"

He nodded again, pushing his wand back into his pocket without using it, then took one of her hands in his. "This way we can talk over the summer or whatever. Or at night, or whenever, actually." He let go of her hand, moving it to cup her chin instead, and allowing his green eyes to bore into hers. "You're the only person I'd give one of these too…because I know you'll take care of it." Hermione was clearly touched, and so rather than risk having a very emotional female on his hands, he went for a bit of humor. "'Sides, I reckon you're the only person who'd ever want to talk to me that bad, really."

Shaking her head in amusement, but still recovering from the gift, she looked at him. "Just what am I supposed to do with you, anyway?"

Harry raised an eyebrow and grinned. "I can think of a few things."

"Harry," Hermione said as she laughed. "Sometimes I swear you're nothing more than a typical guy."

The grin turned to a smirk as he leaned towards her again, setting the mirror aside. "As if you'd have it any other way."

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October 23rd, 1996 -

Wednesday dawned bright and full of cool breezes that enticed the students and teachers alike, making skipping class seem like a worthwhile adventure. But no matter how much anyone wanted to be outside, the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year was approaching, and with it, the first Quidditch match as well. That meant studying was crucial if you intended to be able to stroll the wizarding village at your leisure or attend the much talked about Slytherin versus Gryffindor mach. And so a good many students stayed cooped up in the library and classrooms, despite the weather. There were some that gave into the impulse to spend time outside, including the Gryffindor trio, who according to rumor, were finally starting to spend time as a threesome again.

Near the lake, shaded by a huge tree, Harry, Ron and Hermione were all bent over assignments, enjoying this rare burst of warmer temperatures, knowing that sooner than they'd necessarily would like, they'd be bundled up against the cold of winter. With Halloween so close, Ron was finding it progressively harder to keep his mind on studies, and in true form, tossed his quill aside and moved into a sitting position, stretching his long legs out in front of him. Tilting his face to the dappled sunlight, Ron ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. "Man, this is a good day to be playing Quidditch."

To Ron's left, Hermione rolled her eyes and glanced to Harry as he pushed off of his stomach and rolled to lay on his back, head resting on the book he had been reading.

"This is a good day for just being out, Ron," Harry corrected, stretching his arms out over his head, conveniently brushing Hermione's calf in the process as she sat Indian style barely a food and a half from him, putting her in the middle of the two boys. Casually, he glanced at her as his fingers brushed her leg again, flashing a brief grin at her wavering concentration. "Come on, Hermione. Take a break with us. Merlin knows you're farther ahead than Ron or me."

Ron glanced at Hermione when Harry asked this of her, wondering if she'd comply with his wishes, then at a prodding glance from the raven-haired boy, he reached over and nudged her playfully on the arm. "Yeah, Hermione. You've been working longer than either of us all week!"

Looking between her boys, one who was fast returning to friendship status, and the other who was her best friend and possibly so much more, and lost the battle with a smile that threatened. White teeth gleaming as she returned Ron's nudge, using her book instead of hand, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, alright. But you two better plan on us resuming studying soon."

Harry rolled onto his left side, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Is that so, Miss Granger?"

There was a playfulness to his tone that belied the fact that only a week ago he had suffered another bought of depression from his godfather's death. So Hermione leaned forward, ruffling his hair as she grinned. "Yes, that's so," she said matter-of-factly, a sparkle in her cinnamon eyes.

Not wanting to be left out, Ron looked to Harry. "What do you reckon? Tickle attack?" he questioned, grinning broadly.

Taking in Hermione's now defensive posture, Harry nodded to Ron. "Definitely."

"No!" Hermione screeched, but it was pointless. The boys had each picked a side and were now tickling her mercilessly, causing her to laugh and scream. None of them paid any attention to the fact that more and more of those outside were turning to look their way, especially as Hermione screamed out "Ron! Harry! STOP IT!" before bursting into giggles. Classmates and teachers alike watched with amusement as the trio played, some laughing when Hermione exacted her revenge by casting a tickling charm on both boys when she could finally get her hands on her wand. But Harry managed to end both spells after getting his own wand out, and then grabbed Hermione in a bear hug as she scrambled to her feet, planning on fleeing the scene. Hermione squealed again, then started kicking when Ron joined again, tickling her as Harry kept her arms pinned to her sides and unable to reach her wand as it clamored to the ground.

It was a good fifteen minutes later before the tickle war ended with the trio in a pile. Harry rested on the ground, arms behind his head, while Hermione was stretched out on him, her head resting on his stomach. One of her hands was playing idly with the chain of the necklace she had given Harry around his neck, while the other was held loosely in a grip by Ron. The redhead had landed neatly with his head resting against Hermione's thigh, his free arm draped across his own stomach. There was a brief flash of light somewhere nearby, but the trio didn't budge, as they figured Colin Creevey had snapped a photo of someone close to them. The only real movement for another while was four minutes after the photo when Harry reached down, stroking his fingers through Hermione's hair while the three conversed quietly.

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A/N: OK, that seems like a good stopping point for now. This way I can post it before Friday when I leave for the weekend. So no working on fanfics for me for three days. LOL. Sorry! Oh, and no songs or spells or anything actually included in this chapter. Maybe next time. Hope you enjoyed, and please review!

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Up Next: Trip to Hogsmeade, Quidditch Match, and a nasty surprise for everyone's favorite Boy Who Lived.


	7. Chapter 6 Right Here Waiting

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Faith

Chapter 6, "Right Here Waiting"

By: RogueBHS

Author Notes: I hadn't planned on writing more of this till I could update Divinity Forensis on Portkey again, but I just keep on getting ideas for this. My friend who is going to be writing the sequel for this with me was over for the past two nights, and we just came up with a lot of good stuff. Also, I think I've actually converted her to Harry/Hermione shipping! LOL. I swear, I don't think we did much that didn't end up with us talking about Harry Potter stuff within a few minutes. Anyway. My internet is kinda screwy and not letting some of my favorites sites load, so I figured I'd work on this as much as I can. This was going to be the Halloween chapter and Hogsmeade in one, but I changed that. Halloween happens next chapter…

I've never seen anything about where in Hogsmeade you can get food, so for the purposes of the story, you can get some at the Three Broomsticks.

I just finished HBP in under 7 hrs and all I have to say is this: OH MY FREAKIN GOD!...Now can my friends finish it so I can talk about with them please? written within 10 minutes of finishing the book There are a few things in my plot that will change to go with HBP, but not everything...and no, I'm not saying what because I don't wanna ruin it for those who, like I did for OotP, don't get the book till months later.

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Notice: Yahoo's Metric Converter calculated all metric values. Any values that are wrong, I apologize ahead of time for. I will be posting the American equivalent in parenthesis at all times.

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Also: If you see a lowercase letter in double parenthesis like this: ((a)), that means there is an Author note about that area of the chapter at the bottom. This is primarily for spells and such. Numbers in a double parenthesis are used to indicate songs when used in a chapter. Look at the end of the chapter for listings of such things.

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Main Characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Sabine Kington (OC), Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin and others…like Voldemort for instance. ;)

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Couples: Ron/Hermione, Ginny/Draco, Dumbledore/McGonagall (hinted mostly), Harry/Hermione, Lavender/Ron/Luna and others.

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Full Plot Summary: Most would think that with the OWLs over and done with, and NEWTS not being taken until the next school year, that Harry Potter would have an easy 6th year. But when you add up the loss of his godfather, the weight of the prophecy, harder classes, girl trouble, and the ever-looming threat of Voldemort and his followers…not to mention a changing group of friends, Harry's 6th year may well be the hardest yet. Oh yes…did I mention being ladies man? (giggle)

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Chapter 6, "Right Here Waiting"

October 26th, 1996 - Hogsmeade Weekend -

The October sun was bright and cheerful as it streamed through the open main doors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, falling onto the forms of teachers and students waiting to head into the all-wizarding village of Hogsmeade for the first time of the school term. Near the middle of the crowd, a messy head of black hair was bent near a head of brilliantly red hair that hung in layers to the shoulders of its owner, Ginny Weasley. Smiling, she and Harry conversed in hushed tones, discussing the music he had shown her the night before. The songs were a mixture of upbeat and not, with the upbeat being a new song for his relationship with Hermione, and the not being two songs about how he missed his godfather and parents. All three lacked the background music, and so Harry had asked Ginny to help him decide on what instruments to make the songs for and other such details, trusting her judgment on the matter.

A few feet away, Hermione and Ron were both watching Harry and Ginny talk, interested in what was going on for totally different reasons. And while Hermione had begun to accept that Harry and Ginny were close in a totally platonic way, the pang of jealousy still hit her every time she saw them as they were now, bent close and all. The fact that he had given Sirius' mirror to her told her in a way that words couldn't that he cared for her deeply and trusted her, but he still hid one secret from her. His muggle notebooks were a mystery to her, and the fact that Ginny knew their contents had her ready to scream in frustration. He could share the prophecy, his feelings over Sirius' death and so much more with her, but this seemingly small thing, he couldn't and wouldn't. Rather than drive herself crazy over it today, Hermione forced herself to think of something else, and shifted her mind to the Potions homework that she had promised Harry she'd help him on tomorrow.

Ron, however, was having completely different thoughts from Hermione. He had long been a fan of the idea of his little sister and Harry dating, and the fact that all of a sudden, this year, the two were spending more and more time together, he was hoping that this would be the year when they began to date. After all, his little sister was surely good enough for the boy who lived, right? And no matter what Hermione might have said about Ginny being over her crush on Harry, there was always the possibility that she had just said such a thing to make Harry feel better. She was always doing things like that, anyway. His blue eyes glanced between Harry and Ginny again, taking in their postures. Both were fairly relaxed, well…in Harry's case, as relaxed as he really got in public. But there was no outward sign of any attraction to the other. That wouldn't be a deterrent, though, Ron assured himself. Harry and Ginny were both masters at hiding their feelings when they wanted to, and while he'd never heard of someone being able to hide lust or similar feelings, that didn't mean it wasn't possible.

Suddenly, a hand clamped over Ron's shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts. Turning, his eyes went wide. "Bill? Charlie? What are you two doing here!"

Hearing the names, Hermione turned as well, her brown eyes sparking when she saw the two eldest Weasley children. Welcoming the distraction from her thoughts, she flashed a smile at the two. "I knew teachers were joining us, but this is a surprise," she said, raising an eyebrow just a bit.

"Well, Dumbledore decided it was better safe than sorry and invited us and some others along too. Surely you have noticed Kingsley and Moody are here, didn't you?" Charlie asked, then gave Hermione a poke in the arm.

Laughing, Hermione brushed Charlie's hand away, then glanced at Ron who was frowning at her. Rolling her eyes, she let her gaze drift over the room, picking out the forms of more than one member of the Order of Phoenix, just as Charlie had said there was. "I didn't realize they were here, no," she admitted, turning her attention back to the brothers. Lowering her voice just a touch to keep from being overheard, she questioned, "Is Professor Dumbledore expecting trouble then?"

Just then, Harry and Ginny appeared, and Harry answered before Bill or Charlie could. "Its just a precaution, Hermione," he said. "I asked Dumbledore about it myself the other day."

Bill gave a nod of agreement as he took in Harry's clothing, since this was the first time he'd seen him in a while. "New wardrobe, eh Harry?"

Harry laughed a bit, glancing down at his choice of black jeans, a white long sleeved t, and black jacket, then back to the Weasleys. "Yeah. Remus insisted he was sick and tired of me looking worse than he does in those hand-me-downs of my cousin's. And so was I, so I let him and Tonks take me shopping."

Nodding, Charlie gave him a thumbs up. "Good for you, mate."

"Did I hear my name?"

"Tonks!" Ginny exclaimed, and promptly gave the metamorphmagus a hug. "I was hoping that you'd be coming along!"

Laughing, Harry cast a brief glance around, and noticed Remus not far away. "Well, looks like we've got a big group to hang out with today," he said, motioning for his godfather to join them. "Hey, Remus."

"Harry," Remus said simply, giving him a once over before looking to the rest of the group. He noticed the way Hermione's eyes kept looking between Harry and Ginny, and fought a smile. _Looks like Tonks was right, _he thought, and decided to question Harry on it another time.

The adults of the group waited as Filch checked his list of names for the students, finally allowing them out of the hall and into the courtyard. The large, apparently mix-matched group made its way down the all wizarding village, talking in smaller groups that changed often, and occasionally all talking about the same topic. As they reached the edge of the village, Tonks gave Harry a good once over as Bill and Remus had, but hers contained just a hint of female appreciation, despite the age difference.

"You know, Harry, I'm glad you let Remus and I take you shopping." She grinned broadly at him. "I think a lot of the girls are appreciating the change," she commented, having noticed a good many of the Hogwarts girls admiring his form in the better fitting jeans and shirt. Then she took notice of the way Hermione's eyes drifted to him and slowly admired what they saw. _Score a point for me, _she thought, the grin half shifting to a smirk.

Harry's eyes turned to Tonks, and he blushed lightly as he realized she was right. "Not why I did it, but whatever," he said, unconsciously running a hand through his hair in embarrassment.

Going with instinct, Ginny looped an arm through Harry's, and mockingly gave him the same hero-worshipping gaze she used to years ago. He looked down at her in surprise, then laughed as she broke away and punched him in the arm, saying, "You're Mr. Popular these days, Harry. So you might as well get used to it, you know."

Still smiling, he grabbed her roughly and pulled her back to his side, then teasingly dug his fingers into her side, tickling her. While she laughed, he grinned at her. "Guess you and Hermione will just have to protect me then," he said, and reached out, pulling Hermione to his other side. Both girls shared a glance, then wrapped an arm around him, smiling.

"Well, if we must, we must," Hermione teased back, enjoying getting to be so close to him in front of so many people, no matter if they would see it as a more platonic action. All that mattered was that for a short time, she had her Harry showering her with attention.

****

One Hour Later -

By now, the group had split up, with Bill and Charlie wandering the shops that they hadn't seen in ages, and Ron and Harry inside the Quidditch store. The two boys were admiring the posters advertising a new model of Firebolt, the Firebolt Inferno, which would be released three weeks before Christmas on December first, and talking about the differences between it and the current Firebolts they both owned. Hermione, Ginny and Tonks had dragged a reluctant Remus into the clothing store across the street, under the pretence of needing to check out prices on new robes. But in all reality, Tonks had taken a bag of Galleons from Harry in order to buy Remus himself a new wardrobe. Harry was quite sure that his godfather was going to give him an earful about it later, but it would be worth it, he decided. Remus deserved the luxury of new clothes as much as he did himself.

__

For now though, Harry thought, moving his gaze from the Firebolt Inferno poster to a pair of seeker gloves hanging nearby, _time to relax. _He fingered the fine leather gloves, wondering if his were really in bad enough shape to warrant the purchase when a finger tapped him on the shoulder. Turning, he had to tilt his chin down just a bit to look into the pale blue eyes of Luna Lovegood.

"Hey, Luna," he said, a smile creeping its way onto his face.

"Hello, Harry," she responded, brushing a piece of her light blonde hair away from her eyes. "Hermione told me to come and get you, said that they wanted your opinion on something."

"Oh! Alright." Turning again, he gave Ron a poke in the arm. "Come on, mate. The girls want our opinion on something."

"Huh?" Still admiring the poster, Ron slowly turned his attention to the two. "Oh. Right." He gave the poster one last look before forcing his gaze back to Harry and Luna. "Guess we better go then. Ginny and Hermione hate it when we hang around."

"Too right they do," Harry agreed, fighting a laugh as Ron snuck another look to the poster. "It'll be here later, Ron," he reminded him, then grabbed his friend's arm forcefully and pushed him away from the poster and towards the door. Then, he flashed Luna a smile. "You wanna join us then, Luna?"

The blonde nodded and turned towards the door with Harry. "Of course," she said simply, as if it was a very stupid question. As they walked, she glanced at him. "How are you?"

Knowing what she meant, Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, I guess. Still hard, though."

Laying a friendly hand on his arm, she gave a small smile. "It always will be. But with time, it gets a bit easier."

Glad to have someone understand, he wrapped an arm around her and gave her an one-armed hug. Returning the small smile, he glanced down at her again. "Don't know what I'd do without you, some days, Luna."

Laughing now, she gave him a half-hearted shove. "You'd do fine. You have her after all, don't you?"

Slowly, he nodded, the small smile growing as he thought of Hermione. "Yeah."

Leaning into him this time, Luna looked up. "What is it like?"

"What's what like, Blondie?" Harry asked, using his nickname for her.

"Having someone who cares about you like she does about you."

"Oh…" He frowned, and then pushed the door to the clothing shop open, allowing Luna to enter ahead of him, and spotted Ron already talking to the girls. He looked down at Luna, smiling when he saw her still watching him. "Its…wonderful," he decided, and then nodded. "Its wonderful," he repeated, this time with conviction.

"What's wonderful?" a voice asked, drawing Harry's attention.

"Hmm?" He turned, coming face to face with the very girl he had just been talking with Luna about. "Oh…uh…" He blushed lightly as he floundered for a reason. Coming up blank, he simply told the truth. "Having you around," he admitted.

Luna moved away from the two, leaving them alone as Hermione blushed. "Oh." She glanced over her shoulder, and around the rest of the store, then, satisfied no one was watching them closely, she stood on tiptoe and whispered, "Its pretty wonderful having you around too, Harry."

He smiled at her shyly, then gently led her back to the group, to keep from doing anything he might regret doing in public. "So…what was it you wanted our opinion on?"

****

The Three Broomsticks -

By the time that Harry had managed to convince the girls that Remus finally had a full wardrobe of new clothes, it was after lunchtime, and Ron was being very vocal on that fact. So, with a laugh over the fact that Ron was such a bottomless pit, the group of students, plus Remus and Tonks, headed to the Three Broomsticks for butterbeer and some lunch. Upon seeing them enter, Madam Rosmerta gave a wave, and started pulling out tankards of butterbeer for them. After they took a seat at a large booth near the back, Harry passed payment for the drinks to Madam Rosmerta while the drinks were passed around so everyone had one.

"Anything else?" she queried, smiling broadly.

Ron perked up and asked for a bowl of the stew he saw advertised on a board over the bar, and slowly, the order of food grew to include three more bowls of stew and four sandwiches as the others made up their minds. Within minutes, the food was placed on the table, and Ron was shoveling the stew into his mouth at what should have been an impossible rate, and taking large bites from his sandwich happily. Rolling her eyes at Ron's table manners, Hermione struck up a conversation with Remus, questioning him on what they were supposed to be covering next in their Defense class. While she and Remus conversed, with Tonks adding in the things she was going to teach them soon, Ron waved over his two brothers, Bill and Charlie, who had just entered.

With two more guys to talk with, Harry and Ron found themselves involved in a debate over the Quidditch teams, and talking about the new Firebolt model, a conversation Ginny joined in as often as not. But Luna found herself joining into both conversations, enjoying being included into the group that might as well have been one large family. Sensing her feelings, Harry, who was seated to Luna's right, wrapped an arm around her and hugged her for a second during a lull in his conversation.

Leaning down, he smiled. "Glad to see you happy, Blondie."

She leaned her head against his shoulder, not noticing the way Hermione was watching them now. "Its not often I'm included," she reminded him, her voice soft, near a whisper to prevent being overheard. "So this is a nice change, I think." She looked up at him now, protuberant pale blue eyes meeting his directly. "It's rather like a family isn't it?"

Harry nods, and hugs her again. "Only family I need."

Smiling now, she hugged him back. "So that would make you my brother, wouldn't it?"

"Yep," he replied, obviously happy with the idea. "And that means you'd be my lil' sis."

"I think I can live with that," she answered, then moved away as he lifted his arm from her shoulders. "Just so long as it means I can be a pest."

He looked down at her, smiling. "I guess if I can handle Ginny being one, I can handle you too..." He tickled her side, unaware that they were gaining the attention of the rest of the table.

"Something going on we should be aware of, mate?" Ron asked, smirking as Harry looked up from Luna, surprised.

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Just joking around, Ron. Not that it's any of your business."

From her spot at the other side of the table near Charlie, Ginny smirked. "I'm not being replaced am I?"

"Na," Harry replied. "Just getting company is all," he said, giving no explanation that would help the others know what he was talking about, but Ginny smiled and looked at Luna.

"Good, now someone else can help me pick on him!"

Tonks looked affronted as she spun in her seat to face Ginny. "I thought that was my job!"

Harry threw up his hands. "I thought it was the job of all females in general to pick on me!"

At this, Tonks, Hermione, Ginny and Luna all grinned wickedly, causing him to shrink down in his seat. "Er...forget I said anything..." He looked at the four warily. "Please?"

Hermione laughed, reaching across the table to pat his hand reassuringly. "We'll give you a break for today, Harry, don't worry."

"Just today?"

Hermione glanced at the other girls, then pretended to think about it. "Well, lets wait and see how good a boy you are, then we'll decide on how long the break is for."

Harry sighed, pulling himself back up in his seat. "Should've just kept my mouth shut," he muttered, and the table burst into laughter.

After lunch, Harry splurged on treats at Honeydukes, and split a box of chocolate frogs with the group, much to Ron's delight. While the teens munched on chocolate and traded cards, the adults finally left the group, having to do their rounds of the town. Laughing, Harry popped the last bite of his frog into his mouth as Ron tried to capture his as it hopped out of his hands. Glancing aside, he saw that Hermione was oddly quiet, despite the fact that Ginny and Luna were carrying on only a few feet from her. The chocolate frog he'd handed her was still unwrapped, held in her hand, clearly forgotten. Curious, he dodged Ron, and moved to stand beside her. Gently, his hand took hers, keeping her from fiddling with the hem of her jacket and surprising her enough to look up at him.

"You alright?" he asked, making sure to keep his eyes on hers, and in the process, making it clear he wanted a truthful answer.

Yawning, she leaned into him, moving closer than was really necessary. "Just tired," she answered, now laying her head against his shoulder. "I didn't sleep well last night."

Not even noticing the glaring form of Cho Chang a few feet away, Harry stopped walking and looked at Hermione in concern. "Any particular reason?"

Hermione gave him a small smile and shook her head. "Just couldn't sleep. Excited, I guess," she added," about Hogsmeade today and all."

Unsure, but not wanting to press matters, he nodded and told her to stay put while he caught up to Ron and the other two girls. When Ron turned, Harry gave his friend an apologetic smile. "Mione and I are gonna head back up the castle I think, she's tired."

Ron frowned and glanced over Harry's shoulder to where Hermione stood, yawning again as she looked around the town. Sighing, he nodded. "Catch up with you two later then, I guess."

"Yeah," Harry said, and grinned at his friend. "You owe me a chess match, we haven't played in weeks."

At the idea of being able to play one of his favorite games, Ron brightened. "Works for me, mate."

Harry waved as the three walked off, then returned to Hermione, only to have Cho approach him. He looked at her curiously, as this was the first time she'd dare approach him all year.

"Yes, Cho?"

Cho tossed her long black hair over one shoulder, flashing her best smile as she moved closer. "How are you doing, Harry?"

Harry frowned, taking a step back away from Cho, purposefully moving closer to Hermione. But unlike his honesty with Luna, Harry felt no reason to be so truthful with Cho. "Alright, I guess," he lied, wondering what on earth Cho wanted from him.

Cho stopped moving forward, obviously getting the hint that he didn't want to be close to her, and eyed him critically, her lips turning up in a grin as she did so. "You look better than alright to me, Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Nice line, Cho...used that one often?"

At this, Cho seemed truly offended. "I was trying to pay you a compliment!"

Harry shook his head, reaching back to touch Hermione's arm while he took anther step back away from Cho. "Well, thanks for the compliment then, but Hermione and I were going to head back to the castle. See you around, Cho," he said simply, and turned his back on the older Ravenclaw girl, now leading Hermione down the main street and towards the castle. And partly because he knew it would aggravate Cho, but more because he wanted her close, Harry wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders and pulled her to him.

"I don't think Cho's too happy with you, Harry," Hermione teased, glancing up at him as the entered the school grounds again.

Harry shrugged with his other arm, and smiled down at her. "Doesn't matter to me. She's not that great, really."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"Mione, she wanted a link to Cedric, not me, but she made me believe otherwise. I don't appreciate that. She's physically beautiful, sure...and not half bad at Quidditch either, but that's it. Her personality...Merlin. She's not what I want. Not now that I know her anyway." As he finished this, he gave her a look that had her wondering just what it was he did want.

"So...no more crush then?"

He hugged her to him as a heavy breeze came whipping around the edges of the castle, and shook his head. "No." Then his green eyes met her brown ones. "I wouldn't sneak off with you if I did, I hope you know that."

Satisfied, she nodded and smiled as they walked up the steps of the castle. "I do...but I guess I had to hear it to, you know?"

Harry glanced around the entry hall, then pulled Hermione up the stairs to the seventh floor and to the Room of Requirement in silence after that, refusing to answer anything until the door closed behind them and disappeared, keeping the room locked to any surprise visitors. Once the door closed, Harry looked to Hermione, taking in her appearance.

For the day out, Hermione had shed the school clothes as he had, and dressed in blue jeans with a figure flattering deep purple sweater. Her hair that had been pulled into a ponytail for the beginning of the day was now windswept and her shorter bangs framed her face in loose waves. The normally peaches and cream complexion was tinted with rose from the wind. The lips Harry was finding more and more enticing as time passed were parted just a bit, and her cinnamon and honey eyes watched him curiously. All in all, the picture she made, he realized, was far more alluring to him than any of Cho's practiced and overly enhanced looks. Perhaps it was the way her kindness shown through in those eyes, or her easy smile when she was truly happy. But whatever it was, Harry couldn't help but thank what ever god might exist that his best friend hadn't realized what he'd really had.

During his visual exploration of her, Hermione became worried at his lack of movement and speech since they entered the room. It just wasn't his way. But then, he did move, but not to kiss her as she had thought he might. Instead, his hands simply framed her face gently, while emerald green eyes searched hers.

"Beautiful," he murmured, seemingly unaware of doing so. There was something new, some feeling he couldn't explain rising as he watched her, but he knew it wasn't as new as he wanted to believe. It was simply moving from the hiding place he had shoved it into more than once in the previous years, and now refused to budge from its rightful place. So instead of denying it, he let it fill him up as it wanted to do. The feeling was amazing...ever so much better than flying. While he couldn't name it, he knew it had grown from his attraction to this girl in front of him. And for now, that was enough.

"Harry..." she said softly, hoping to catch his attention, and she did. But rather than answer, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her with the gentleness and adoration she had always wanted from a boy but never allowed herself to think too long on. Every kiss they'd shared so far had been from some sort of passionate emotion...anger, sadness, happiness...and now was no different, but the emotion that filled them both was one both knew they'd have to explore further before naming.

When he broke away, Harry sighed softly, leaning his forehead against hers while he looked down at her. "You said something about being tired, didn't you?" Harry asked, just remembering.

With a soft laugh, Hermione kissed him, then turned as the room conjured a bed not unlike the one they had woken up on around a month ago before her break-up with Ron. She found herself unable to hide a yawn, and blushed.

"Harry!" Hermione screeched suddenly, beyond surprised when he lifted her effortlessly from the ground. Her arms wrapped around his neck for extra support, and she looked at him, eyes wide. "What on earth are you...?"

"You're tired," he said simply, and walked the few steps to the bed the room had created. He lowered her to it with the utmost care, waiting patiently for her arms to remove themselves from around his neck before he pulled his arms away too. Smiling, he leaned down, pressing another kiss to her lips. "So rest..."

Before he had the time to move away, she grabbed his hand, giving it a tug. Curious, he looked to her. "Hmm?"

"Lay with me?"

The question, which could result in so many different outcomes, surprised him. But there was something in the way she asked that had him knowing that he couldn't deny her that request. So without words, he slid onto the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her as he drew her close. Without warning, Hermione turned, snuggling her front against his before settling down again, causing him to sigh softly. This was going to be a long afternoon..._Or maybe not, _he thought as he found himself yawning. Within minutes, the two were sound asleep in each others arms for the second time that year.

****

8:00 PM, October 26th, Room of Requirement -

It was a good three hours after he had left this room with Hermione for dinner, and now here he was, entering it again with another girl at his side, Harry thought idly. But the reason behind this visit was totally different from his reasons in bringing Hermione here. After all, Ginny and Luna were his sisters, weren't they? Or as good as, at any rate. And Ginny had insisted that he share his music with Luna now, for no one would understand the lyrics of loss better than the blonde Ravenclaw girl. So with only minor hesitation, Harry pulled his notebook from his bag, set it on the table, and then pulled out his guitar while Luna and Ginny took seats on the couch. Enlarging the guitar to its real size, Harry gave Ginny a brief smile before flipping to the page that he wanted and started playing the song that made him think of multiple people.

__

"I found the pieces in my hand  
They were always there  
It just took some time to understand  
You gave me words I just can't say  
So if nothing else  
I'll hold on while you drift away  
Cause everything you wanted me to hide  
Is everything that makes me feel alive

Cities grow  
Rivers flow  
Where you are, I'll never know  
But I'm still here  
If you were right and I was wrong  
Why are you the one that's gone  
I'm still here  
Still here

Seeing the ashes in my heart  
The smile the widest  
When I cry inside and my insides blow apart  
I tried to wear another face  
Just to make you proud  
Just to make you put me in my place  
But everything you wanted to take from me  
Is everything that I could never be

Cities grow  
Rivers flow  
Where you are, I'll never know  
But I'm still here  
If you were right and I was wrong  
Why are you the one that's gone  
I'm still here

Maybe tonight  
It's gonna be alright  
I will get better  
Maybe today  
It's gonna be okay  
I will remember

I held the pieces of my soul  
I was shattered and I wanted you to come and make me whole  
When I saw you yesterday  
But you didn't noticed  
And you just walked away  
Cause everything you wanted me to hide  
Is everything that makes me feel alive

Cities grow  
Rivers flow  
Where you are, I'll never know  
But I'm still here  
If you were right and I was wrong  
Why are you the one who's gone  
And I'm still here  
The lights go out, the bridges burn  
Once you're gone, you can't return  
I'm still here  
Remember how you use to say I'd be the one to runaway  
But I'm still here

I'm still here

I'm still here" **(1)**

As Harry trailed off, Ginny and Luna both broke into applause that had him blushing and giving a half bow. He turned to another page, and when the two girls settled down, he smiled shyly. "So you liked that huh?"

"Liked it?" Ginny practically squealed, brown eyes wide. "Are you kidding! That was great!"

Luna seemed unable to find words at the moment, and simply nodded her agreement with Ginny's assessment.

"Alright, well..." Harry glanced down at the page, then looked back to the girls. "This one's a new one...wrote it not that long ago...maybe a week at most?"

"What's it called?" Luna asked, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Things Will Go My Way," he answered simply, then placed the guitar back where he needed it to be, and began to play the almost hopeful melody.

__

"I came to tell you  
How it all began  
Nothing seems to work out right  
I'm broken down again  
So hold me now  
And say it's not forever  
Maybe someday  
In time

Things will go my way  
Things will go my way

I've pushed to get through  
The crowds in twisted souls  
Just to find I'm right back here  
Doing what I'm told  
So take my hands  
Don't let me surrender  
'Cuz maybe someday  
Yeah, in time

Things will go my way  
Things will go my way

For all the lies  
I've tasted  
Just looking for the truth  
For all the dreams I'm chasing  
Well what am I to do  
When everything's against me  
The answers are all wrong  
I'm hoping that I'll find out  
It was worth it all along

So hold me now  
And say it's not forever  
Maybe someday  
In time

Things will go my way  
Things will go my way  
Things will go my way

For all the lies  
I've tasted  
Just looking for the truth  
For all the dreams I'm chasing  
Well what am I to do  
When everything's against me  
The answers are all wrong  
I'm hoping that I'll find out

Things will go my way  
Things will go my way" **(2)**

This time he was almost prepared for the applause, and accepted it a bit more graciously, but the light blush still infused his cheeks with color. He set the guitar across the notebook this time, leaning forward to look at the girls as he smiled.

"Glad you two enjoy my music so much." He flipped to yet another page, this time looking at Ginny appraisingly. "You up to helping me on one?"

"Now?" Ginny asked, surprised.

"Yeah...I mean, singing, not writing. This one's meant to be sung by a girl."

"You sure?"

Harry laughed, smiling at her. "Course I'm sure. I've heard you sing, haven't I?"

"Well...alright," Ginny agreed hesitantly, then moved to sit by him so she could see the lyrics. "Hope you're not expecting perfection, Potter."

When Ginny got a good look at the lyrics, her head shot up. "That's...those are..."

Laughing, Harry nodded. "Yes, that's your lyrics." He nudged her gently. "Come on, sing..."

And after clearing her throat gently, Ginny did just that.

__

"I cannot find a way to describe it  
It's there inside; all I do is hide  
I wish that it would just go away  
What would you do, you do, if you knew  
What would you do

Her voice was clear and beautiful, better than any training could have ever done for her, and the fact that she wrote the lyrics seemed to make it only better. Feeling, real, undisguised feeling was slipping into it with every word she sang, leaving both Harry and Luna surprised.__

All the pain I thought I knew  
All the thoughts lead back to you  
Back to what was never said  
Back and forth inside my head  
I can't handle this confusion  
I'm unable; come and take me away

I feel like I am all alone  
All by myself I need to get around this  
My words are cold, I don't want them to hurt you  
If I show you, I don't think you'd understand  
Cause no one understands

All the pain I thought I knew  
All the thoughts lead back to you  
Back to what was never said  
Back and forth inside my head  
I can't handle this confusion  
I'm unable; come and take me away

I'm going nowhere (on and on and)  
I'm getting nowhere (on and on and on)  
Take me away  
I'm going nowhere (on and off and off and on)  
(and off and on)

All the pain I thought I knew  
All the thoughts lead back to you  
Back to what was never said  
Back and forth inside my head  
I can't handle this confusion  
I'm unable; come and take me away

Take me away  
Break me away  
Take me away" **(3)**

As she finished, Ginny opened her brown eyes, which she had closed halfway through the final chorus, only to find Harry and Luna smiling at her. "Well?" she asked, as unsure of her own talent as Harry was of his.

"Fantastic," Harry said simply, hugging her to him after he set his guitar aside. "You and I could sing together after Hogwarts...how's that?" he teased, green eyes glowing with the pleasure he seemed to get more from music than almost anything else these days.

"Sounds good to me," Ginny answered, leaning into him, and looking at Luna. "What did you think?"

"It was...real," Luna decided, smiling at her first real friend at Hogwarts. "It suits you," she added, "the music."

"You think so?" Ginny asked now, turning her brown eyes back and forth between Harry and Luna.

"Of course, "Harry said, laughing before digging his fingers into her side to tickle her. "Wouldn't say so otherwise, would we, Blondie?"

Luna shook her head in the negative, then moved to sit on the other side of Ginny. "I do have one question."

"Yeah?"

"Would you be willing to teach me?"

Sharing a grin, Harry and Ginny looked to Luna at the same time. "Course we would."

And within minutes, Luna was submersed into the world of music, using and showing her (unusual) Ravenclaw intellect.

A/N: Ok...Ending this here so I can get it updated. Sorry for the wait! LOL. Even with a new computer, I just get distracted! Sorry! Hopefully can get the next chapter up faster.

Review please!

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(1) - "I'm Still Here" - Vertical Horizon

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(2) - "Things Will Go My Way" - The Calling

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(3) - "Take Me Away" - Avril Lavigne


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